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2/4/2020 Item 7, Khoury
Wilbanks, Megan From:Rima Khoury <rima@fumari.com> Sent:Monday, To:Harmon, Heidi; Gomez, Aaron; Christianson, Carlyn; Pease, Andy; Stewart, Erica A Cc:E-mail Council Website Subject:San Luis Obispo Flavored Tobacco Ban 2/4/20 - Hookah Exemption Attachments:20191120 Hookah combined messaging.pdf; 20200114 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE.pdf; 20200116 LAIST.com - LA's Hookah Lovers Are Worried The Proposed Vaping Law Would Wipe Out Their Lounges_ LAist.htm; Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health_ Shisha Vs Cigarette_ Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say_ - Arabianbusiness.pdf Dear Mayor and Councilmembers, Before you inadvertently vote to ban the thousand year cultural tradition of hookah in the City of San Luis Obispo, please understand the facts. There is no teen hookah epidemic. The FDA and CDC reports have made it clear that hookah is not the problem with youth. There are no facts that support a ban on hookah. Hookahs are not being confiscated in schools. Hookahs are 3 feet tall and cannot be easily concealed in your pocket or backpack like vape. Hookahs take 25 – 30 minutes to set up and need hot coals, therefore it cannot be smoked during recess in the bathroom at school. Hookah’s cost over $200 for all the parts and accessories, making it out of reach for most kids. Gov. Gavin Newsom stated in his executive order address on September 16, 2019 that “hookah is not the problem in classrooms”. Hookah is not the problem. Yet hookah is becoming collateral damage in the war against vape. Hookah is not vape. Hookah has been practiced for over a thousand years by Arabs, Persians, Armenians, Turks and Indians, many of which have immigrated to America and still practice their cultural traditions. Hookah is the center piece of social gatherings and is often offered to guests as a sign of hospitality and respect. Many immigrant small business owners have built their business doing what they know from their home country. Often times they work 20 hour days, seven days a week to support multiple generations of their family. Rather than banning hookah and crippling these immigrant small business owners, pass reasonable regulations that address youth usage and access. Many of these business owners that have been operating legally for years would be happy to work with law makers to address youth access 1 issues. These hookah lounge and retailer owners often have several years remaining on their leases and have personally guaranteed their leases. They will not only lose their business, but their homes and no long be able to support their family and extended family. A tobacco flavor ban is a ban on hookah because it only comes in flavors. Even hundreds of years ago hookah was made with molasses and honey. The federal government has recently passed a 21 and over minimum for tobacco products across all fifty states. In addition, the FDA has passed an e-cigg ban on flavored cartridges. May 12, 2020 is the FDA deadline for all vape and hookah products to be accepted for FDA review, after which any products without FDA approval will be unlawfully on the market and their products seized and injunctions restricting sales will be issued. The federal government is addressing the youth access issue and also providing legislation across the board, eliminating the patchwork of laws from city to city and closing loop holes for bad actors to skirt the law. Please understand the facts before you eliminate such a rich cultural tradition. I have included a hookah handout with pertinent facts along with two articles regarding hookah from last week in VICE, the LAIST and an article from last November from Arabian Business. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qlUH3hmvUc The Culture of Hookah | An Exploration of History and Tradition RIMA KHOURY, ESQ. GENERAL COUNSEL (619) 331-3535 EXT. 723 FUMARI INC. The information in this email is confidential. It is intended only for the use of the individuals or entities named above. You are hereby notified that if you are not the intended recipient, or employee or agent responsible for delivering it to the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or copying of the information in this email is strictly prohibited. If you receive this email in error, please notify us immediately by telephone and delete the original. Thank you. 2 I n f or mat i o n a b ou t ho o ka h P R E P A R E D F O R L A C I T Y C O U N C I L H E A L T H C O M M I T T E E M E E T I N G D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9 S u m m a r y B a n n i n g f l a v o r s w i l l b a n h o o k a h , u n l e s s h o o k a h i s e x c l u d e d . C h i l d r e n s h o u l d n o t u s e h o o k a h . W e s u p p o r t r i g o r o u s e n f o r c e m e n t o f L A ’s m i n i m u m s m o k i n g a g e o f 2 1 , i n c l u d i n g p e n a l t i e s f o r b u s i n e s s e s t h a t f a i l t o c o m p l y w i t h a g e v e r i f i c a t i o n r e q u i r e m e n t s . H o o k a h s h o u l d b e r e g u l a t e d . A l l h o o k a h p r o d u c t s a n d a d s a r e r e q u i r e d t o c a r r y h e a l t h w a r n i n g s . S t r i c t p e n a l t i e s s h o u l d b e e n f o r c e d o n b u s i n e s s e s t h a t f a i l t o c o m p l y w i t h a g e v e r i f i c a t i o n r e q u i r e m e n t s . I s u s e d s o c i a l l y a n d i n f r e q u e n t l y I s n o t c o m m o n l y u s e d b y t e e n s I s n o t l i k e c i g a r e t t e s o r v a p i n g I s a l m o s t a l w a y s f l a v o r e d I s i n t e g r a l t o t r a d i t i o n a l v a l u e s i n m a n y d i v e r s e c o m m u n i t i e s T h i s d o c u m e n t h a s b e e n p r e p a r e d b y o r g a n i z a t i o n s a n d b u s i n e s s e s r e p r e s e n t i n g d i v e r s e c o m m u n i t i e s f o r w h o m h o o k a h i s a u n i q u e a n d i n t e g r a l p a r t o f s o c i a l a n d e c o n o m i c l i f e . W E A G R E E w i t h L o s A n g e l e s ’ a t t e m p t s t o p r o t e c t p u b l i c h e a l t h a n d s t o p u n d e r a g e t o b a c c o u s e . W E A S K L o s A n g e l e s t o e x e m p t h o o k a h f r o m t h e f l a v o r b a n t a r g e t i n g c i g a r e t t e s a n d v a p i n g , b e c a u s e h o o k a h : K e y f a c t s a b o u t h o o k a h Hookah's unique history spans centuries and continents,uniting many of LA's diverse communities. -H oo k a h h a s b e e n a f i x t ur e o f s o c i a l a c t iv i t y s i n c e it s f i r s t a p pe a r a n c e i n I n d i a i n t h e 1 6 t h c e n t ur y. H o ok a h e v o lv ed f r o m 1 7t h c e n t ur y P e r s i a t o 1 8t h c e n t ur y T u r ke y t o 1 9t h c ent u r y E g y pt , I s rae l , A r m e n i a , and P a k i s t a n , r eac h i n g t h e Uni t e d S t a t e s i n t h e l a t e 18 0 0s w h en i m m i g r a n t s fr o m t h e s e c o u n t r i e s s et t l e d i n A m e r i c a n c i t i e s l i k e L A (1). -H oo k a h i s a s y m bo l o f r e s p e c t , ho s p i t a l i t y, a n d s o ci a l e n g a g e m e n t i n m a n y c om m u n i ti e s. H oo k a h i s a n i n t e g ral p a r t o f so c i a l l i fe i n th e s e co m m u n i t ie s , j ust a s o t h er c o m mu n it i es ' s o ci a l n o r m s m i g h t i n c lu de dr ink i n g c o f f e e in a c a f e , b e e r a t a B B Q , o r w i n e a t a tap a s b a r . -L A is h o m e to h u n dr e d s o f t h o u s a n d s o f p eo p l e w h ose h e r i t a g e a n d v a lu e s i n c l ud e h o o k a h a s a t r a d i t i onal s oc ial a ct i v it y , i n c l ud i n g f r o m th e r e g i o n s om e t im e s kn o w n a s t h e "G r e a t e r M i d d le E a s t ," a s w e l l a s m o re th a n 2 0 0 0 h oo k a h -r e l a t e d b u s i n e s s e s (2 ). A 2 0 18 F D A s t u dy sh o w ed al m o s t 90 % o f A m e ric a n s w h o u s e h o o k a h d o so n o m o r e th a n o n c e p e r mo n th (3 ). B y c o m p a r i s o n , th e a v e rage A m e r i c a n c i g a re tt e smo k e r s m o k e s 14 c i g a r e t t e s p e r d a y (4 ), a n d v a p e r s c a n v a p e c o m p u l si v el y a r o u n d th e c l o c k . -Th e same F D A st u d y s h ow e d t h a t t h e m a j o r i t y o f p e o pl e (50 -6 0 %) use ho o kah m ost ly i n c af es o r l o unge s (5 ). -Fo r m a n y c o m m u n i ti e s , h o o k a h i s a n on-i n t o x i c a t ing fi x t u r e o f s o c i a l i n t e r a c t i o n , i n c l ud i n g i n s o m e c i rc u m s tanc e s w h e r e s o c ial n o r m s d o n o t i n c lu d e d r i n k i n g a l c o h o l o r u s i n g ot h e r s u b s tanc e s . Hookah use is social, infrequent, and not intoxicating. -H o o k a h wat er pi p e s a r e t rad i t io n a l l y t h r e e f e et t a l l , b u t s o m e a re a s l a r g e as s i x fe e t . T h e y canno t b e e a s i l y tr a n s p or te d o r c o nc e a le d f ro m par e n t s o r t e a c he r s . -W h i l e a smal l n u m b e r o f te e n s may t r y ho o kah o n c e o r t wic e , j u s t a s th e y t r y o t h e r r i s k y b e hav i o r s, t h e C D C f o u n d t h a t j ust 4 % of h i g h s c h o o l s t u de n t s us e d h o o k a h i n t h e las t 3 0 d a y s, m o r e t h a n s i x t i m e s l o w er t han t h e n u m b e r o f t e e n s w h o v a p e (6). -F r o m t he may o r o f S a n D i e g o t o t h e g o v e r no r o f C a l i f o r ni a , p ol i t i ci a n s h a v e ad m i t te d t h a t ho o k a h i s “n o t th e p r o b l e m ” i n cl a s s r o om s and f o r t ee n s (7 ). Hookah is not commonly or easily used by teens. -F l a v o r s i n c l u d ing h o n e y a n d m o lass e s w e r e a dd ed t o s h i s h a m o r e th a n a c e n t u ry a g o . -S h i s h a c ont a i n s o n l y b et w e e n 1 5 a n d 2 0 p e r ce n t t ob a c c o , m e a n i n g 8 0 p e r c ent o r m o r e o f t h e p r od u ct i s m o l a s se s o r s y r u p a n d f o o d-gr a d e fl a v o r i n g . -U n fl a v o r ed s h i s h a w o u l d , by d e f i n i t i on, c o n t a i n m uc h m o r e t o b a c c o t h a n s h i s h a n o w . -W e a r e n o t a w a r e o f u n f l a v or e d s h i s h a b ei n g a v a i l a bl e i n t he U n it ed S t a t e s , a n d v e r y l i t t l e i s manu f a c t ur e d g l o b a l l y . Hookah has very little tobacco and is almost alwaysflavored. Hookah is nothing like cigarettes or vaping. -S h i s h a i s a m i x tu r e c on t a i n i n g o n l y b e t w ee n 1 5 a n d 2 0 p er c e n t t o b ac c o . It c a n n ot b e r ol l e d i n t o c i g a r e t t e s or u s e d i n a v a p e “p o d ” or a n y o t he r d e v i c e b es i d e s a h oo k a h wa t e r pi p e . -H o o k a h w a t e rp i p e s c r e a t e a e r o so l th a t i s 6 0 % w a t e r and h e a t s hi s ha a t a t e m pe r a t u r e t h a t i s f o ur ti m e s l ow e r t h a n a bu r n i n g c i g a r e t t e . By c o n t rast , c i g a r et t e s m o k e i s 7 5 p e rc e n t t ar , car bo n m o n o x i de , a n d n i co t i n e (8 ). -T h e l o w f r e qu e n c y o f us e i n di cat es h o o k a h i s a u n i q u el y s o c i a l a c ti v i t y , n ot a c o m p u l s i v e b e hav i o r l i k e s m o k i n g ci g a re tt e s o r v a p i n g . -H o o k a h a e r o so l c o n t a i n s 2 5 ti m e s le s s n i c o t i n e p e r m l a n d h a s f a r f e w e r h a r m f u l c onst i t u e n t s t h a n c i g a r e t t e s m o k e (9 ). -W e do n o t cl a i m h oo k a h is h e a l t hy , b u t c om m o n cl a i m s c om p a ri n g h o o k a h a e r o s o l t o ci g a re tt e s m o ke a r e w ro n g a n d m i s l e a d i n g . R e g a r dl e s s o f t he v o lu m e o f a e r oso l p r o d uc e d , t he co n t e n t i s c o m p l e t e l y d i f f e r e n t f r o m ci g a r e t t e sm o k e . -H o o k a h i s n ot i m p l i c a t e d i n the C D C ’s i n v e s t i g a t i on o f i l l n e sse s r e l a te d t o v a p i n g (1 1). 5 c e n t u r i e s o f h i s t o r y 89 p e r c e n t o f h o o k a h u s e r s e n j o y h o o k a h o n c e p e r m o n t h o r l e s s H O O K A H F A C T S A T A G L A N C E 15 p e r c e n t t o b a c c o i n s h i s h a (1 ) His t o ry of h oo k a h h t t p s ://y o u t u .be/9 q lU H 3 h m v U c (2 ) N e w Ame r i c a n E co n o m y h t t p s ://ww w .n e w a m e r ic a n e c o n om y.o rg /wp -c o n tent /u p l o a d s /20 1 8 /07 /M E N A-Re p o r t.p d f (3 ) Jo u r n a l o f N i c o t i n e a n d To bac c o R ese a r c h, J une 2 01 8 h t t p s ://a ca dem i c.o u p.c o m /n tr /a rt i c l e /2 0 /6/7 3 1 /3 0 6 4 155 (4 ) C D C p r e s s r e l e a se , smo k i n g r a t es d e cl i n i n g h t t p s ://ww w .c d c .g o v /m e d i a /r e l e as e s /2 0 1 8 /p 0 1 18-s m o k i n g -r at e s -dec li n i n g .h tm l (5 ) Jo u r n a l o f N i c o t i n e a n d To bac c o R ese a r c h, J une 2 01 8 h t t p s ://a ca dem i c.o u p.c o m /n tr /a rt i c l e /2 0 /6/7 3 1 /3 0 6 4 155 (6 ) C D C y o u t h t o b a c c o use h t t p s ://ww w .c d c .g o v /to ba c c o /d at a _s t a t i s t i cs /f ac t _sh e e t s /y out h _d a t a /t o b a c co _u se /ind e x .h t m (7 ) G ov er n o r N e w s ome pr e s s c onf er e n ce h t t p s ://y o u t u .be/-W dK 0 9 V a kJ k (8 ) C O R E ST A , "A pr e li mi n a ry co m par iso n o f fl a v o u r e d wat er pi p e t o b a c c o a e r oso l w i t h c i g a r e t t e s m ok e " h t t p s ://ww w .c or e s t a.o rg /a b st r a c t s /p r el im i n a r y -co m p ar i s o n-f l a v ou r e d-wa t e r p i p e -t ob ac c o -a e r o s ol - c i g a r e t t e -sm ok e -p a r t -1-t a r (9 ) Ib i d . (1 0) C DC v a p i n g in ju r y w e b page h t t p s ://ww w .c d c .g o v /to ba c c o /b as ic _i n f o r ma t io n /e -c i g a r e t t e s /s e ver e -l u n g -d i s e as e .h t m l R e f e r e n c e s P R E P A R E D A N D S U B M I T T E D B Y : H o o k a h C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e F u m a r i A l F a k h e r T o b a c c o T r a d i n g R e g a l H o o k a h T a n g i e r s T o b a c c o S t a r b u z z H o l l y w o o d H o o k a h 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 1/12 Drugs Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too If states continue to ban flavored tobacco and vaping products, hookah could be collateral damage in the U.S. By Alex Norcia Jan 14 2020, 10:42am ADVERTISEMENT $150K-$200K$50K-$100K $100K-$150K $200K-$250K $250K + Quicken Loans Urges Americans Living in California to Switch to a15-Year Fixed Select Your Mortgage Balance: RECALCULATE YOUR HOUSE PAYMENT ©2020NMLS#3030 January 14, 2020: If you owe less than $331,760, you may be shocked by how much Quicken Loans could reduce your total mortgage payment. Try this radically simple mortgage experience and see if you can lock a low rate that will never rise. VICE VICE ON TV I-D IMPACT REFINERY29 We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 2/12 ILLUSTRATION BY HUNTER FRENCH Hookah has never been the main enemy in the war on tobacco. Once feared for its potential to drive college students to nicotine, it has largely faded from the news. In the U.S., hookah lounges are mainly found in immigrant communities in major urban centers like Los Angeles and New York, a centuries-old tradition brought over from the Arab world. Many who own these establishments and frequent them cite them as communal gathering places, much like bars. At the moment, though, hookah is on the verge of extinction. This has been an inadvertent side effect of the vape panic. As the so-called youth vaping epidemic continues to be an issue demanding a response, more and more states, cities, and towns are trying to ban all avored tobacco products, which they consider to be most attractive to teenagers. Often lumped into that category is what's commonly "hookah" or "shisha": the molasses-laden and syrupy tobacco substance—usually avored with "apple," "mint," and "papaya"—found in a hookah pipe, the large device that burns the mixture with small coals and lters the smoke through water before it enters your lungs through a long hose. You usually don't do this alone; there are even sometimes multiple hoses on the same hookah. Now, as local lawmakers and politicians place hookah alongside what they consider kid-friendly e-liquid avors, hookah lounge owners and the ADVERTISEMENT 19 We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 3/12 hookah industry at large are arguing that they should be exempt from such legislation. For them, their point is simple: to make hookah illegal would be a cultural affront. "There are so many minorities represented in California alone—to criminalize a cultural tradition because of vaping seems disproportionate," said Rima Khoury, a lawyer who represents Fumari, a sizable hookah company based in San Diego. It would interfere with their entire way of life, she said. Nowhere is this currently more prominent than in Khoury's California, where last year State Senator Jerry Hill pulled a bill intended to ban avored tobacco products because of "hostile" amendments to it. One included an exemption for hookah because of constant pressure from the hookah industry. "The biggest challenge has been educating lawmakers on hookah," Khoury said. "We've literally brought hookahs to city hearings. They don't t in children's backpacks. They're not being con scated in schools. We don't want hookah to become collateral damage in what feels like this war against vaping." Forget Cali Sober. Now There's Vape Sober ALEX NORCIA ADVERTISEMENT We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 4/12 "I nd it hard to believe that use of gummy bear- and bubble gum– avored tobacco in any form is a cultural tradition," Hill said in May 2019, according to the Los Angeles Times. He still appears to think that. In early January 2020, just a week or so ago, Hill introduced a similar bill without a hookah exemption. If it passes, California would become the second state to ban avored tobacco products, after Massachusetts did so in a sloppy back-and-forth battle this past year. (That state does have a hookah or "smoking bar" exemption, and the law is set to go fully into effect in June.) Hill has reinvigorated a battle that the hookah industry had thought it nearly avoided on the state level, even as cities across California—including Ventura and Hermosa Beach—have moved to ban avored tobacco and hookah along with it. Some, such as Long Beach and Burbank, have already altered their bills and exempted hookah after pushback from people like Khoury. Do you know something about the tobacco industry that you think VICE should know? Using a non-work device, you can contact Alex Norcia securely via Signal at 201-429-7024 or email at alex.norcia@protonmail.com. Although it's something of a secondary argument, Khoury and others in the industry are worried, too, that any kind of prohibition would shut down small businesses, much like vape shops. This despite the fact that hookah clearly didn't cause the youth vape crisis. A proposed ban of avored tobacco products throughout Los Angeles County would completely cripple Mary Danaciyan, who has operated 5 Star Hookah in Granada Hills for the past 12 years. She said that she has a three-year lease with her landlord that she can't get out of, and also supports her parents and grandmother. She emphasized that she is more than willing to work with regulators. (The Trump administration recently raised the federal age in which to purchase nicotine products from 18 to 21 and instituted a partial ban on avored vaping products nationwide.) ADVERTISEMENTWe, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 5/12 "Lawmakers just don't seem to do their research," Danaciyan said. "There are a lot of elderly, Middle Eastern people in my neighborhood. They can't all go to hookah lounges. They smoke hookah at home. Including myself. For me, relaxing is reading a book and smoking hookah in my living room." There is no denying that hookah is dangerous. It does not have the support of harm-reduction proponents and major scientists, who claim vaping to be a safer alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes and a potential off-ramp to ditching the habit. But compared to the 27.5 percent of high school respondents who said their "most commonly used" nicotine product was an e-cigarette, and 5.8 percent a regular cigarette, only 3.4 percent stated that theirs was hookah, according to the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, a document released annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And although "the vast majority of American teens have never tried hookah," misconceptions abound, particularly that it is not as dangerous as cigarettes. "Hookah has never really been singled out and examined," said John F. Banzhaf III, a professor of law at George Washington University and longtime leader of the nonsmokers' rights movement. "It wasn't that e- cigarettes came along and changed the conversation. It's that there hasn't been the sort of hyper-focus that you've seen elsewhere." Hookah has come under re before. Tobacco laws, including those having to do with hookah, can drastically vary from state to state and even city to city. In 2017, according to New York City's health department, there were 400 A Running List of U.S. Cities and States Where Vapes Are Banned ALEX NORCIA We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 6/12 hookah "establishments" throughout the ve boroughs, four times as many as there were in 2012. Local politicians took notice: That same year, the NYC Council bolstered an already-stringent indoor smoking policy by further cracking down on hookah lounges, barring any new ones from opening up and requiring existing ones to obtain a permit and prove that at least 50 percent of their sales came from smoking. All NYC locations must also only serve non-tobacco shisha, meaning it's all avor and no substance— smoking hookah in New York will not provide you with a nicotine rush. In Maryland's Baltimore County, hookah lounges have to close at midnight. The debate around hookah exemptions has also brought up a question that often gets buried amid the stigma of smoking, the leading cause of preventable death in the world: Can tobacco—and nicotine—be a form of leisure? Can it be part of an activity you simply do with your friends, like drinking? "It's important to recognize that social patterns of tobacco use have always shifted over time, and that arguments about culture need to be balanced against the interest of public health," said Micah Berman, an associate professor of public health and law at Ohio State and an expert in tobacco control. "If you are selling a product known to be highly toxic," he continued, "you are essentially on notice that more regulation might be coming at any time." Still, none of this patchwork legislation among disparate cities and states throug hout the country will matter much come May 2020. That's the date, etched in vapers' minds, when vape sellers have to submit their premarket tobacco applications to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—an expensive and arduous process they've claimed would shutter the entire industry and leave it in the hands of Big Tobacco–supported companies, like JUUL Labs. We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 7/12 More like this TAGGED: VAPING, HOOKAH, NICOTINE Subscribe to the VICE newsletter. Your email Subscribe Hookah companies must also submit that application, and are therefore at the whims of the same FDA approval. Their products could be stripped from the marketplace. Although there's a possibility, given some bureaucratic loopholes, that hookah manufacturers that produce avored tobacco might be grandfathered in, essentially since they've been on the market much longer than vapes and e-cigarettes. It is, however, far from a guarantee. "Hookah has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years," said A zim Chowdhury, a public policy attorney who specializes in tobacco regulation. "It's not a cigarette. It's not a replacement for cigarettes. It's its own thing." Sign up for our newsletter to get the best of VICE delivered to your inbox daily. Follow Alex Norcia on Twitter. We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 8/12 Health Insurance Companies Can Charge People Who Vape Up to 50% More ALEX NORCIA Pennsylvania Is Using the Vape Crisis to Try to Legalize Weed ALEX NORCIA Is Vaping Worth Saving? HANNAH SMOTHERS The Trump Administration Just Banned Almost All Flavored Vape Pods ALEX NORCIA We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 9/12 Two Old Guys Reveal They Know Nothing About Vaping ALEX NORCIA America's Strange Nicotine Regulations Somehow Just Got Even Weirder ALEX NORCIA Here's More Evidence That Flavors Aren't the Reason Teens Vape ALEX NORCIA Scientists Tell Everyone to Take Several Seats Over Vaping Panic ALEX NORCIA Most read We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 10/12 Experts Condemn Keto. Will People Finally Stop? HANNAH SMOTHERS IN HEALTH This Guy Served His Friends Tacos Made from His Own Amputated Leg BECKETT MUFSON IN HEALTH Amazon's Donation to Australia's Bushfire Recovery Is Insulting JASON KOEBLER IN TECH 'McMillions' Is the Story of the Ex-Cop Who Scammed McDonald's Out of $24M in Monopoly Prizes JELISA CASTRODALE IN FOOD Health Health Insurance Companies Can Charge People Who Vape Up to 50% More Like U-Haul, they think vaping can be just as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. By Alex Norcia Jan 9 2020, 5:00am We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 11/12 Drugs Pennsylvania Is Using the Vape Crisis to Tr y to Legalize Weed "I think this is the primary lesson from the outbreak," one expert said. By Alex Norcia Dec 9 2019, 3:00am PEOPLE VAPING Keep Reading Ask any vaper why they do it, and you'll probably hear a similar answer: "It's not a lifestyle choice. It's life or death." That phrase, for all its political hokiness, has become something of their refrain—chanted at protests, shouted at speeches, plastered all over their i l T itt ld It'ti t th k t b d h We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 1/14/2020 Vape Panic Is Accidentally Killing Hookah Too - VICE https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/dygpzx/vape-bans-bringing-down-hookah 12/12 IMAGE VIA SHUTTERSTOCK Keep Reading At the end of September, about 24 hours after Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf came out in support of legalizing recreational cannabis, he talked to a journalist on the street about the so-called vaping epidemic. This conversation followed a summer in which embattled vape giant JUUL faced criticism and legal exposure for allegedly targeting teenagers (a claim it has l j t d)d f ll k d b i th id t f ik i i l t d We, and third parties we allow, use cookies to improve your experience and serve advertising Got It Do Not Sell My Info 12/3/2019 Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health? Shisha Vs Cigarette? Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? - Arabian… https://www.arabianbusiness.com/retail/432617-is-shisha-really-as-bad-for-you-as-the-world-health-experts-say 1/7 Nicokick.com We don’t mean to brag but our customer’s results speak for themselves. NicoKick Home (/) Industries (https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries) Retail (https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/retail) Thu 7 Nov 2019 10:23 AM Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? New report from UAE-based manufacturer Al Fakher shines light on 'misleading' comparisons between shisha and cigarettes 12/3/2019 Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health? Shisha Vs Cigarette? Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? - Arabian… https://www.arabianbusiness.com/retail/432617-is-shisha-really-as-bad-for-you-as-the-world-health-experts-say 2/7 The World Health Organisation (WHO) – claiming that smoke inhaled in one hour of shisha is equivalent to smoking 200 cigarettes. The sweet smell of shisha smoke may not be as bad for you after all. A Middle East tradition practised the world over, shisha (or hookah) has come with warnings from health authorities, both internationally and locally in the Gulf region. Much of the research to date on the topic of shisha consumption has been less than favourable, with the most prominent of them all – the World Health Organisation (WHO) – claiming that smoke inhaled in one hour of shisha is equivalent to smoking 200 cigarettes. The strong health advice, however, has done little to quell the appetite for the Middle Eastern tradition, with the global market estimated to be worth $2 billion and expected to grow by a further 50 percent in the coming years. In a bid to allay the drastic health fears, Ajman-based Al Fakher, the world’s leading manufacturer and supplier of shisha, has commissioned a first of its kind report that it says dispels the notion that shisha is as bad as or worse than smoking cigarettes. Shisha is very different from cigarette smoke it turns out, comprising of mostly water and glycerine, which helps produce the smoke. Nicokick.com Our pouches are tobacco free and discreet while still delivering a strong nicotine release 12/3/2019 Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health? Shisha Vs Cigarette? Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? - Arabian… https://www.arabianbusiness.com/retail/432617-is-shisha-really-as-bad-for-you-as-the-world-health-experts-say 3/7 The report, obtained by Arabian Business, describes the WHO report (which dates back to 2005) as “misleading” owing to the fact that the health organisation only refers “to the volume of aerosol produced, and does not consider the composition of the aerosol relative to cigarette smoke.” Among its conclusions, the report said that water pipe users inhale far fewer harmful emissions and far less nicotine than cigarette smokers. Similar to the way other heated tobacco products operate, the study honed in on the fact that waterpipes heat, rather than burn, shisha molasses at low temperatures – typically 190 degrees. As a result, it said the cigarette smoke is far more toxic, which burns the tobacco at temperatures of between 400 and 900 degrees. Another key difference not taken into consideration by the WHO is the consumption levels of waterpipe users, who tend to use them far less frequently than cigarette smokers, the report says. According to Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), “average consumers in Germany smoke between one and two waterpipes a week…”compared to “between 20 and 30 cigarettes a day”. 12/3/2019 Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health? Shisha Vs Cigarette? Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? - Arabian… https://www.arabianbusiness.com/retail/432617-is-shisha-really-as-bad-for-you-as-the-world-health-experts-say 4/7 For all the latest retail news (https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/retail) from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/ArabianBusiness) and Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/arabian- business/), like us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ArabianBusiness) and subscribe to our YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/user/arabianbusiness/featured?sub_confirmation=1) page, which is updated daily. The report sought to assess potential toxicant exposures, based on consumption patterns and to assess the potential differences in levels of toxicants in cigarettes and shisha. The new study assessed potential toxicant exposures based on these benchmark consumption patterns. The first part of the two-part study showed that there are far fewer harmful constituents per militre of shisha aerosol than per militre of cigarette smoke. Part two of the study found that average shisha users are exposed to 97 percent less nicotine than typical smokers, and at least 85 percent less of other emissions of concern than a pack a day cigarettes smoker. Many harmful constituents found in cigarette smoke were not found to be present in shisha aerosol at all. “When comparing tobacco products, it is much more important to analyse the levels of individual toxicants that appear in the smoke or aerosol, since they are widely recognised as being relevant to the health effects of tobacco use,” the report said. The study also suggested that emissions of concern could be reduced further in shisha by business innovation aimed at reducing the level of charcoal emissions which can get into the aerosol. Update - the report is available on CORESTA's (Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco) website (https://www.coresta.org/sites/default/files/abstracts/2019_STPOST25_Wilkinson.pdf ). Neil Halligan (/node/173319) RETAIL (/SUBJECTS/RETAIL-508148.HTML)SHISHA (/TAGS/SHISHA)SMOKING (/TAGS/SMOKING) WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (/TAGS/WORLD-HEALTH-ORGANISATION)HEALTH ANALYSIS (/TAGS/HEALTH-ANALYSIS) CIGARETTE (/TAGS/CIGARETTE)HARMFUL PRODUCTS (/TAGS/HARMFUL-PRODUCTS) TOBACCO FLAVOURS (/TAGS/TOBACCO-FLAVOURS)TOBACCO PRODUCTS (/TAGS/TOBACCO-PRODUCTS) WATERPIPE TOBACCO (/TAGS/WATERPIPE-TOBACCO)AL FAKHER (/TAGS/AL-FAKHER) Font Size - Aa + By Neil Halligan 12/3/2019 Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health? Shisha Vs Cigarette? Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? - Arabian… https://www.arabianbusiness.com/retail/432617-is-shisha-really-as-bad-for-you-as-the-world-health-experts-say 5/7 Join the conversation | Sign in R e gi s ter Post a comment Si gn in a n d Join t h e Conver s a ti on All Comments 0 Sort By Newest Comments 12/3/2019 Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health? Shisha Vs Cigarette? Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? - Arabian… https://www.arabianbusiness.com/retail/432617-is-shisha-really-as-bad-for-you-as-the-world-health-experts-say 6/7 Get Fresh Newsletter on Email Subscribe Now I agree to Terms and Conditions (https://www.itp.com/terms) Your email id 12/3/2019 Shisha (Hookah) Smoking, Is it Harmful, Bad for Health? Shisha Vs Cigarette? Is shisha really as bad for you as the world health experts say? - Arabian… https://www.arabianbusiness.com/retail/432617-is-shisha-really-as-bad-for-you-as-the-world-health-experts-say 7/7 © 2019 ITP Media Group. All Rights Reserved 2/3/2020 LA's Hookah Lovers Are Worried The Proposed Vaping Law Would Wipe Out Their Lounges: LAist file:///C:/Users/mwilbank/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/DA2VH5V7/20200116 LAIST.com - LA's Hookah Lovers Are …1/3 Search Go DONATE LAist is a website about Los Angeles Arts & Entertainment Food News Advertising Contact Newsletter RSS Feed Staff About Us LA's Hookah Lovers Are Worried The Proposed Vaping Law Would Wipe Out Their Lounges by Robert Garrova in News on January 16, 2020 2:25 PM (Stock photo by Awesome Sauce Creative on Unsplash) A bill in Sacramento that would ban flavored vape products would also outlaw the sale of flavored tobacco used in hookah lounges. That worries people like Arbi Sardari, as he takes a drag of peach- and mint-flavored tobacco at The Atmosphere, the hookah lounge he owns in Glendale. For Sardari, smoking a hookah brings back memories of family. "My grand grandpa was doing hookah," Sardari said. "And I was the kid that he was always saying, 'Hey, go put some charcoal on for me.'" For many Middle Eastern families in California, smoking flavored tobacco with a hookah pipe is a communal affair, both at lounges like Sardari's and at home. Sardari said he slept in his car for weeks to save up enough money to start his business. Now it's the proposed state law that's keeping him up at night. "Because you think, wow, I'm doing all this and tomorrow it's gone?" he said, adding that he has 14 employees. Customer Asbjorn Kjaer said he'd be bummed if he couldn't enjoy smoking a hookah with a few friends on a sunny afternoon. "The whole thing where they're trying to outlaw all sorts of flavored tobacco seems to be mainly an overreaction to a serious problem with teen smoking, teen vaping," Kjaer said. Hookah advocates will often argue that hookah pipes are not what contributes to teen smoking, as they take a considerable amount of time to get going and are not easily concealable. Backers of the bill � SB 793 � say it's "aimed at halting the alarming resurgence of nicotine consumption among youth," according to a press release announcing the measure from co-sponsor State Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo). The bill would ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products with no exceptions. It has the backing of 30 lawmakers and is supported by the American Cancer Society and several other health advocacy groups. "Anything less than ridding store shelves of all flavored tobacco products, including menthol, hookah, cigars, cigarillos and chewing tobacco, diminishes the health and safety of California kids who will find a way to access flavored tobacco anywhere retailers are able to sell these alluring products," Jim Knox, managing director for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network in California, said in a statement announcing SB 793. There's no argument that hookah smoking can be harmful to your health. "hookah smoking has many of the same health risks as cigarette smoking," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns on its website. The agency says hookah smokers may be at risk for oral cancer, lung cancer and 2/3/2020 LA's Hookah Lovers Are Worried The Proposed Vaping Law Would Wipe Out Their Lounges: LAist file:///C:/Users/mwilbank/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/Content.Outlook/DA2VH5V7/20200116 LAIST.com - LA's Hookah Lovers Are …2/3 other diseases. Rima Khoury, an attorney with the San Diego-based hookah tobacco and gear company Fumari, is actively lobbying to make sure the L.A. City Council has a hookah exemption carved out in its proposed flavored tobacco ban. She said she wouldn't want her kids smoking but argues that there's no teen hookah epidemic and that efforts to combat youth vaping shouldn't take out a centuries-old cultural practice. "We don't want hookah to become collateral damage," Khoury said. Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. 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