Following a consistent crackdown on city’s cafés and restaurants that offered Shisha (flavoured hookah) to their clients, the city administration has taken notice of oxygen shots as a becoming a popular alternative.

"The youth indulges oxygen, on offer in some cafés on MM Alam Road and in DHA; they are becoming O2 addicts," says a senior district administration official, on condition of anonymity.

Two years ago, the Lahore High Court (LHC) imposed a ban on Shisha smoking in cafés as well as in public places, and the authorities were directed to take action against the violators. The LHC was told that the cafés were using certain substance (drug) in the flavoured hookahs. Later, the city administration started a vigorous campaign against those cafés that did not voluntarily stop offering Shisha.

According to the findings made by the District Quality and Control Board, a certain drug may be mixed in the oxygen shots also.

As a result, a ban has been placed on the public sale of oxygen to check the dangerous fad.

Last week, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Muhammad Usman imposed Section 144 on the unauthorised sale of oxygen gas to any person at a public outlet except the registered hospitals and clinics. The directive shall remain functional till further orders.

In the western world, oxygen bars are a common phenomenon and they are popularly seen as energy boosters. O2 was the first oxygen bar that introduced the concept to the Lahoris, back in the mid-2000s. Being an elitist outlet -- a 15-minute inhalation of oxygen of one’s own choice of flavour would cost the customer Rs500 -- it soon fizzled out. The trend caught up only recently with the closure of the Shisha cafés.

In Lahore, the trend is also seen as the new "evil" that is affecting the youth. "When you get an extraordinary level of energy, you are most likely to abuse it," says the district administration’s environment official who played a major role in leading operations on cafés offering Shisha.

"Since there is no specific law that would prohibit taking [oxygen] shots, Section 144 has been imposed; it lets the government to ban anything it deems dangerous or injurious to health."

The official says that there is an urgent need for the government to come out with a policy on the issue. "This is important especially because acquiring oxygen cylinders is quite easy."

A PhD in Chemical Engineering and a technical expert with the Environmental Tribunal, Dr A R Saleemi says that in developed countries the oxygen shots are "controlled from 2-20 minutes and there can be no overdose. However, in Pakistan, where there is no governmental control, this element can be misused.

"When you inhale oxygen more than is required by your body, you are likely to develop complications. Though it may immediately have a very calming affect on you, which is why people are becoming addicts, this eventually harms your eyes, lungs and brain."

According to Dr Zulfiqar Ali, Executive District Officer (Health), Lahore, there are no negative effects of it but "you have to have a certain level of oxygen deficiency in your body to qualify for an extra intake [of oxygen]."

The district government’s campaign against Shisha cafés has been a great success. It remains to be seen if it can check oxygen bars as effectively.