.Incessant drug abuse in Kano is the reason behind the ban of Shisha in the state, Managing Director, Kano State Tourism Management Board, Yusuf Ibrahim Lajawa, has said.
Speaking to Kano/Jigawa Chronicle, the managing director said the action became necessary as most people smoking Shisha in the state were found to be going out of their senses.
Shisha, according to a British Heart Foundation (BHF) publication called Heart Health Magazine, “is a specially prepared tobacco heated to produce smoke which bubbles through a bowl of water and into a long hose-like pipe to be breathed in. Shisha pipes have mouthpieces fitted to inhale the smoke.”
Lajawa said, “After an investigation by our medical team, it was found that Shisha is used to trigger the menace of drug abuse.
“Therefore, it became necessary to ban taking or smoking substances in the state.
“The edict was established in 1994 and later amended and signed by the state governor in November 2021. The amended law prohibits smoking in public places and public gatherings in the state.
“Plans are underway to constitute a task force which will enforce the penalty side of the law – jail term and fine or even sealing and closing down the Shisha joints in the state.”
The MD added that the decision was a step to further make the state free from social vices which could lead to crimes and pose threats to proper upbringing.
“The law will be applied to event centres, as well as rooms for children under the age of 18 in hotels. The law does not stop there as it also includes all the Shisha dealers and retailers in the state.
“Our agency has already taken the initiative to guide business owners to ensure that they do not violate this law which will take effect soon,” he added.
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