Tobacco News

The Lazy Dayz Hookah Lounge, which allows customers to smoke a water pipe called a hookah, was denied extended operating hours because of concerns it would sell a legal drug that city officials consider dangerous.

Owner John Sedwick has admitted selling Spice, a synthetic drug that smokers say provides a marijuana-type high, at his Newport News location, Norfolk City Manager Regina V.K. Williams told the council Tuesday. The Navy and city officials have condemned the sale of Spice, which is banned in several states but is legal in Virginia.
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Hookah smoking by teens is on the rise in Oregon. That’s what the Oregon Public Health Division is reporting.

Researchers also found that teens think smoking a hookah is “glamorous” and “not as bad as cigarettes.” However, researchers say the idea that hookah smoking is less dangerous is not entirely true.
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“Some customers come in here every single day,” he says. “Just like Starbucks coffee, I know what they want.” Amanda Duron, 20, of Hillsboro smokes a hookah and watches television while her friend Raya Cupler, 20, of Beaverton naps at the Beirut Lounge in Tigard. Hookah lounges offer laid-back environments, high-energy social gathering spots and inexpensive entertainment. Hookah flavors cost about $10 to $15 each. Some lounges allow a maximum of two people per hookah during a smoke session. Pipes are thoroughly cleaned between users. Ream more »

New hookah bar Adam’s Corner is finally ready to open in the former Listrani’s Restaurant space. The bar received its liquor license this afternoon, and is planning to open this weekend, says owner Chedlia Dridi.

Dridi has been eager to open since the beginning of September, but still had several loose ends to tie up before opening to the public. The liquor license from Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control was the last piece. Dridi is hoping to do a soft opening tomorrow, and plan an official grand opening in a month or so. Ream more »

“Opa!” cries the staff of Acropolis Greek Taverna as white paper napkins are tossed with abandon into the dining room atmosphere.
It’s Saturday night on the infamous 7th Avenue of Ybor City, but I’ve steered clear of the typical nightclub scene to find a more cultured taste of this historic district.
The main entrance opens into a room with a vaulted ceiling, painted and illuminated to resemble a brilliant blue sky with clouds. Ream more »

Arab-style smoking cafes that were exempted from the city’s landmark anti-tobacco law are under fire as a Bay Ridge councilman prepares to stop any new hookah bars from opening and seeks to regulate those that remain. Councilman Vince Gentile (D–Bay Ridge) said his bill would block any new hookah establishments from opening starting in 2012 — but it won’t stop any existing shops from inviting customers to smoke water pipes filled with shisha, a mixture of fruit, molasses and sometimes tobacco. Ream more »

Ensnaring users with its seductive scents and tastes, inviting social atmosphere and physically addictive tobacco component, hookah smoking has become a fashionable trend in today’s society, especially among college students and young adults. A relaxed and communal activity, a hookah’s aromatic smoke is considered a breath of fresh air by many. Ream more »

University of Minnesota student Joel Morehouse went to a coffee shop to study over the summer in Buffalo, Minn. He opened his trunk to retrieve his books before heading inside.

A passerby noticed a pipe in his car. Unknown to the observer, the pipe was a hookah, a water pipe used to smoke a certain kind of tobacco. About 15 minutes later, the police arrived and asked to search Morehouse’s vehicle.
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To the Utah County Board of Health, hookah pipes are the same as cigarettes and cigars. The board unanimously voted Monday to adopt a policy treating hookah pipes like any other tobacco product, fully subject to the Indoor Clean Air Act. The policy will act as a placeholder. It’s expected the state Department of Health will issue an administrative rule declaring hookah pipes subject to Utah’s indoor-smoking law.
Joseph Miner, Utah County Health Department’s executive director, said the county is following the lead of Davis County, which recently enacted an identical policy. Ream more »

There are none operating here, and only one inquiry made, but the Tobacco Control Alliance is asking the city to create a regulation banning hookah bars and tobacco stores.
A hookah bar is a bar where people go to communally smoke flavored tobacco in a water-filled pipe called a hookah. A tobacco store is a store that exclusively offers tobacco and often allows customers to sample tobacco before buying it. Ream more »