Saudi Gazette Smoking shisha has become a trend for the young, and is a common sight witnessed in the coastal city of Jeddah. Indoor and outdoor cafés, restaurants, and coffee shops overlooking the beautiful Red Sea overflow with customers, who have shisha pipes by their table, and are happily puffing smoke. It is not unusual to find a woman's face behind the cloud of grey smoke or to find young children sitting right beside smoking parents. It has been estimated that half of all smokers will die from smoking related illnesses. Many people believe that smoking shisha is a safe alternative to smoking. Little, do they realize that smoking shisha is more dangerous than having a cigarette. Worldwide, 6 million smokers die each year as a result of smoking and the number is expected to climb upto eight million by the year 2030. Smokers have a 30 percent higher chance of developing cancer, heart disease, and kidney failure than non-smokers. People who smoke shisha also suffer from high carbon monoxide level. And, high levels of carbon monoxide can lead to brain damage and unconsciousness. Several Saudi doctors and dentists who are strong advocates against smoking attended the conference in the United States to help them continue their anti-smoking awareness campaign in the Kingdom. Among the attendees were Dr. Nadia Al-Hazmi, Dr. Danya Al-Aqaili, and Dr. Manal Shams. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania diligently made a study on smoking shisha. The study found that smoking an entire pipe of shisha by an individual is equivalent to smoking 200 cigarettes, and of course damage to health rises considerably as well. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, surprisingly, twice as addictive as heroin. To combat this unhealthy Jeddawi trend, Dr. Nadia Al-Hazmi, Assistant Professor at King Abdul Aziz University Dental College publicly speaks out about the health hazards of smoking and is an active participant of the anti-smoking campaign at King Abdul Aziz University. “All dental students in their final year at the university are required to take part in the anti-smoking campaign and help raise public awareness on the health risks of smoking,” said Al
