Tobacco News

A bill that would have banned public use of e-cigarettes and hookah pipes hit a snag Monday, as House members balked at a bill that would have shut down a Utah hookah bar without compelling data.

“I really hate to make a state policy based upon — even the sponsor of the bill’s own statement — that we really don’t have good data,” said Rep. Richard Greenwood, R-Roy.

Under current law, individuals can use a hookah pipe or electronic cigarettes anywhere because the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act bans combustion of tobacco, and hookahs and e-cigarettes don’t burn the material.
Ream more »

What is really serious about the phenomenon is that most shisha smokers wrongfully take to the hubble-bubble thinking that it poses only “light” health risks compared to the serious health-related complications of cigarette smoking.

Medical experts have warned that shisha has a more perilous impact on health compared to cigarette smoking. They say most shisha smokers have a misconception based on a wrongful and unscientific notion that tobacco used in shisha is herbal and does not affect body organs.
Ream more »

State legislation barring minors from hookah smoking or buying hookah-related products went into effect on Jan. 1, after Gov. Cuomo signed the bill into law last July.
The legislation regulates a product and business trade that until now has gone largely unregulated.
Hookahs are waterpipes traditionally used in Middle Eastern countries for smoking “shisha,” a fruity, herbal substance that can contain tobacco. Hookah bars and shops selling hookah products are prevalent throughout New York and Queens.
Regulating hookah smoking became a hot-button issue in recent years after the practice experienced a surge in popularity, especially among young people. Ream more »

A week after Gurgaon banned hookah zones in its municipal limit, the Jaipur Police imposed a blanket ban on all bars, restaurants, lounges or coffee shops in the city from serving hookah.

The prohibitory order was imposed by Jaipur Police Commissionerate on Friday by enforcing provisions of Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Any violation of the prohibitory order will amount to criminal prosecution of violators under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.”All police stations have been directed to strictly implement the order,” Jaipur police commissioner BL Soni said. Ream more »

From today, the fashionable hookahs would be removed from all the bars in Gurgaon as the district administration has invoked a ban on the ethnic device used for smoking nicotine-rich drugs. A drive would be launched from Tuesday to seal the hookah bars with the help of police, if their owners refuse to remove hookahs, officials of the Haryana Food and Drugs Administration (HFDA) said. Ream more »

Now we know why Bleeding Heart put its neon sign up for sale last month: The bakery is moving from its home at 1955 W. Belmont Ave. to comfier digs a few blocks away at 1351 W. Belmont Ave. the space that formerly housed Paper Boy and was a proposed spot for a controversial hookah bar.

Though just announced, the move has been in the works for more than a year, according to Michelle Garcia, BHB pastry chef and co-owner. Ream more »

Palike appears to have indirectly helped hookah sellers in the city to make a fortune, as youngsters now prefer to buy their own hookahs and get their kicks at home. Trend of hookah-parties have some parents concerned, while others prefer that their kids stay at home where they can be monitored

The BBMP ban on cafes serving hookah may have had some effect on a few sections of the public, but it does not seem to have goaded youngsters to kick the habit entirely. Many youngsters are now buying hookahs and continue to smoke it in the confines of their homes. Ream more »

A PETITION has been filed in the Lahore High Court for implementation of the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002 and action against cafes and restaurants providing Shisha facilities in the City.

The Society of Alternative Media and Research (SAMAR) has filed the petition through Khurram Hashmi, its coordinator on the Coalition for Tobacco Control-Pakistan. The petitioner, submitting his organisation was working for restricting on Shisha whose use was rising at alarming rate, especially among the youth. Ream more »

A shisha bar which opened without the correct planning permission has closed.

Retrospective plans were submitted after the bar opened in the back yard of a takeaway in Friargate, Preston.

But the application, which included a timber canopy, was turned down by planners concerned about the appearance of the structure and noise.
Ream more »

Hookah bars in Haryana, particularly in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Rohtak and Panipat, are under the scanner of the state’s food and drugs administration (FDA). The agency conducted raids on seven such bars in Gurgaon on Thursday and a total of 28 in October through which 77 samples were taken. Officials suspect that these samples have more than the permitted level of nicotine.
Ream more »