The number of young Iranian women addicted to smoking cigarettes or water pipes is increasing, particularly in the major cities.

An ISNA news agency survey found that the number of female smokers aged between 15 and 20 increased by 2% percent last year, and continues to rise. As well as cigarettes, they are smoking the Shisha or water pipe, which has become very popular in teahouses and coffee shops in the larger urban centres. The Iranian authorities recently launched a number of anti-smoking campaigns banning the use of the Ghelyan (as Shisha is known in Iran) in public places.

Though smoking has in recent years been decreasing among young people in advanced industrial countries, it would seem that the reverse is happening in the developing world.

Source: Shahrzad News