Anti-drug group lobbies for hookah to be banned

By Kim Saulse
20 November 2009

Westsiders Against Addiction, an anti-drugs group, has called on the hookah pipe or hubbly bubbly to be banned.

The organization will lobby the ban at parliament early next year. Spokesperson for the organization George Pappas, says that smoking the pipe increases the risk of throat and lung cancer, and is a gateway to hard drugs.

Pappas attributed this to the organizations interaction with school children, where they found that the trend is for children to replace molasses with dagga, mandrax and even heroin.

He says some substitute water with alcohol.

Westsiders Against Addiction, CANSA and the Medical Research Council are among the organisations lobbying the ban in Parliament early next year.