Many of these parents say the local types of snuff — Nishooq, Shmmah or Hikrah — are similar to narcotics and are calling on the authorities to raid stores that sell hookahs and tobacco that often sell snuff also.
Um Ahmad said she was mortified to learn her sons were using snuff. “I found a sachet containing a few grams of something. I initially thought it was incense and so burned it thinking a nice smell would come. I then smelt something horrid and realized it was something else,” she said.
She asked her sons who said it was snuff and similar to cigarettes. “They purchased it in a hookah store. The sachet costs SR2. I then learned my son was an expert in snuff. He told me that there are different types of snuff including Sudanese, Pakistani, Afghan and Indian types,” she said, adding that her son said the best is the type that comes from Aden.
Um Ahmad became interested in the subject and did some research.
She said she found that snuff could lead to mouth cancer. She added that her son uses snuff every one or two hours while people addicted to it use it every 10 minutes or even less.
Constant users told Arab News that they feel dizzy if they are unable to take snuff at frequent intervals. “I feel dizzy and start shaking if I’m unable to find some snuff for a long time,” said one user.
Parent Muhammad Al-Salmani called for shops that sell snuff to be strictly punished with fines and cancellation of licenses. “These shops should not be allowed to operate in densely populated areas and should be kept in the suburbs,” he said.
Dr. Abdul Bari Mahmoud, a specialist in medicine, said people become addicted to snuff because of its nicotine content. He warned against prolonged use of snuff, which is harmful to one’s health.
Saad Al-Harbi and Abdul Rahman Al-Mitairi, who are both members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, said the commission often visits shops that sell snuff and that the sale of snuff is against the law.
