The Vision for Alternative Development in Ghana (VALD-Ghana) and its allies have urged the government to prohibit the use of shisha immediately, claiming that it poses a menace to Ghanaian youth.
The Ghana NCD Alliance and other partners stated they were intrigued to a viral video in which pupils from the Sunyani Senior High School were shown smoking shisha, one of the tobacco industry's deadliest products.
They stated that as civil society actors, they were highly worried about the risks this conduct would have to the health of the young girls engaged, which is why they called for an immediate ban on the product rather than regulation.
The CSOs made the appeal in a statement signed by Mr Labram Musah, VALD-Executive Ghana's Director of Programs and National Coordinator of the Ghana NCD Alliance, and copied to the Ghana News Agency.
"We are even more troubled by the action taken by the school administration to suspend these girls," the statement read. The Ghana Education Service and school officials must be more concerned about the impact of the product on these young ladies and offer them with medical and counseling assistance."
It stated that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should conduct a thorough inquiry to learn more about the facility where shisha is sold and if it complies with regulatory requirements.
"This is a blatant breach of the Ghana Public Health Act (Act 851) of 2012's Tobacco Control Measures, which strives to safeguard minors from the usage and exposure to tobacco smoke," it said.
According to the announcement, health CSOs led by VALD-Ghana had previously asked on the FDA and the Ministry of Health (MoH) to prohibit shisha in Ghana by administrative fiat or recommendations, but no action was done.
"Shisha has become a trendy product among second-cycle colleges and higher institutions, as well as increasingly common in many Ghanaian communities, throughout the years." Given the recent surge in consumption, it is critical to emphasize that the FDA is regulating the deadliest substance.
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