In this file photo shows a campaign against smoking in Madinah. (SPA)

The Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (Haia) has been cracking down on people smoking shisha in public places, including beaches and parks.

Arab News recently visited a public park in Wadi Namir, Dariyah region, where several people were smoking shisha. This irritated many people who were there with their families, claiming it was harmful to their health.

Many people complained to the authorities, resulting in members of the Haia visiting the park to prevent people from smoking. Smokers had to sign written statements that they would not smoke shisha in public, and had their pipes confiscated.

Shieka M., a Saudi citizen, said that she cannot enjoy herself in a public place if people smoke shisha. Hassan Al-Shamy, an expatriate, welcomed the action taken by the Haia.

Mohamed Said, another expatriate, said shisha smokers hurt themselves and others. Shisha smokers should indulge in their bad habit in private, and not do so in front of impressionable young children, who may want to act out this behavior as they grow up, he said.

According to reports, treating tobacco-related diseases over the past 25 years has cost the Kingdom SR10 billion. Smoking shisha or hookah for an hour is equal to smoking a packet of cigarettes, indicating that it is more harmful than cigarettes.

It costs an estimated SR80,000 to SR250,000 to treat a person with cancer caused by smoking, according to reports.