Some CSO’s including the Vision for Alternative Development, the Ghana Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance, Media Alliance in Tobacco Control and Health, Jaishi Initiative, and the Community Health Support Team had condemned the picture saying “we are very disappointed in Sarkodie for circulating pictures of himself smoking a cigar on social media without considering the negative influence this singular act stands to have on the public, especially the youth, most of whom consider him as their role model.”
But speaking in an interview on Kastle FM in Cape Coast, Bisa Kdei was of the view that “well, it depends on the artist, and personally, I don’t see any problem with pictures of an artiste smoking cigar. There are some things that are pure artistry you can’t take away from an artist so I don’t think it’s something we need to condemn.”