Musician Camidoh has sparked a debate by defending smoking, suggesting that it may not necessarily be harmful.

He argued that the impact of smoking can be subjective and that not everything portrayed as negative is necessarily bad.

Camidoh pointed out that while general advice discourages smoking due to its adverse effects on the lungs, there are other activities, like cooking kenkey, which also involve exposure to smoke.

He suggested that the perception of smoking’s harm could vary and should be individually assessed.

“Not everything that is portrayed as negative is negative. Generally, they say we shouldn’t smoke because it’s bad for our lungs. How about our parents who have been cooking kenkey? You see them when they are making kenkey, you see how smoky it gets? I just want to tell you, you don’t have to dwell on that…It is not bad in my eyes”

However, health professionals have strongly opposed this view, reinforcing that smoking is indeed detrimental to health.

They highlight that smoking poses significant health risks, including lung cancer and other types of cancer.

Additionally, smoking has severe impacts on eye health, increasing the risk of conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, dry eye syndrome, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, Graves’ ophthalmopathy, and optic nerve damage, all of which can lead to vision problems or loss.

In response to Camidoh’s comments, public health advocates urge the public to recognise the dangers of smoking and understand that it is indeed harmful.

They stress the need to change the narrative and reinforce that smoking is detrimental to health.