Casablanca Residents Urge Crackdown on Hookah Cafes Near Schools

The residents - especially the parents - expect Mohamed Mhidia, recently appointed wali of Casablanca-Settat, a position he previously held in the Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima region, to crack down on the shisha or hookah cafes that are proliferating in the metropolis and offering shisha to their customers, particularly to teenagers, reports Hespress. They hope that a large-scale campaign will be launched against these establishments, similar to the actions undertaken in Fez, Guelmim, Marrakech, El Jadida and Tanger. If shisha cafes are multiplying in the city, it is because the owners of these establishments have lobbies that defend them within several institutions.

The concerns of parents are also justified by the many dangers associated with shisha, such as addiction, annoying odors, lack of hygiene, shisha sharing, massive smoke clouds inhaled by customers or passive smokers, as well as other inconveniences, but also the problematic activities that emerge in these establishments, including drug trafficking, prostitution, and insecurity. "Shisha smoke poses a significant health risk," because "inhaling a shisha is practically equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes," explain medical experts.