LAHORE: A new sort of addiction “Oxygen Shots” has replaced Sheesha at various cafes/restaurants in the city.

The City District Government of Lahore has banned this new trend of addiction under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code. It launched an operation against the product and sealed a café in Gulberg on Sunday.

“We had imposed section 144 a couple of weeks ago to prohibit use of oxygen mixed with various flavours of chemical in the city after eliminating the Sheesha,” a CDGL official told Dawn. He said the trend of taking oxygen shots was new in Lahore, though it was an old practice abroad.

He said the café owners were providing each oxygen shot for a three-minute duration to a person for Rs250 to 500. “The owners have kept oxygen cylinders and transfer the gas in a glass bottle filled with various flavours of chemicals which are injurious to health. Then through a pipe, the person starts inhaling the gas. And after inhaling it for three times, a person starts getting enjoyment like liquor,” he explained.

He said each three-minute shot provided inhaling opportunity to a person for over 20 times or so. He advised the youth to avoid visiting such cafes playing with their lives.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2014