Media and Pseudo-Scientific Propaganda Against Hookah

Media and Pseudo-Scientific Propaganda Against Hookah
Below is a sample of growing media propaganda trying to sell the idea that the use of hookah leads to that of cigarettes within the context of official scientific studies (browse this site) intending to do the same.

If somebody craves for a cigarette puff at the end of a hookah session, then this individual was dependent on cigarette before he sat for shisha, wasn’t (s)he ? More, it shows how the hookah nicotine yield is low compared to that of cigarette.

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Teenagers smoking shisha for 'dessert'By Jassmine Shadiqe

Teenagers, denied cigarettes under the law, are freely smoking flavoured tobacco (shisha) in Arabian-style pipes (the hookah) at hawker centres and food outlets in the city. The practice has caught on in recent months, with even family-oriented restaurants in Desa Sri Hartamas, Jalan Bukit Bintang and Bangsar Baru offering the pipes for between RM10 and RM12 an hour.
Unlike cigarettes, which can only be bought by those above 18, children as young as 10 have been seen puffing on shisha.
There is also the added danger of users contracting contagious diseases as they usually share the pipes.
A New Straits Times poll of teenagers who used shisha revealed that some graduated to cigarettes after smoking the flavoured tobacco.
According to them, they wanted stronger tobacco after using shisha.
The tobacco, traditionally mixed with fruit molasses and honey, comes in flavours such as strawberry, pineapple, apple, banana, grape, mixed fruits, mango, cappucino, coffee and even carbonated drinks like coke.
Smoking from a hookah has been practised in the Middle East for centuries, and is said to originate from Turkey. It has become fashionable in other parts of the world and is catching on here.
The hookah comprises a metal stand with outlets for hose pipes, a tray, a clay bowl, and a base usually of glass or crystal which contains water.

A metal tube, with one end submerged in the water, runs through, and when the pipes are smoked, the shisha smoke is drawn through the water.
To ensure customers do not hog the hookahs, stall operators charge them an additional RM10 after the charcoal, used for heating the tobacco, is changed for the third time.
Ummirah Kadir, 19, said she first tried shisha three years ago and moved on to cigarettes soon after.
"I used shisha after seeing older people using it. I moved on to cigarettes and am now addicted to them" she said.
Her friend Linda Jeffri, 19, said she was not concerned about the tobacco content of the shisha as she only used it for relaxation.
"I tried shisha about a year ago and smokes it with friends almost every weekend nowadays," she said.
Sally Chew, 17, said she usually smoks shisha at Bangsar Baru while hanging out with friends.
"It costs only RM10 for an hour and I can smoke it with five to 10 friends," said the student, who agreed that shisha-smoking could lead to cigarettes.
Her friends who were with her said they were not aware whether shisha contained nicotine.
Muhammad Mahmud, 44, an Egyptian married to a local and who runs a stall along Jalan Bukit Bintang selling shisha for RM12 per hookah, said he did not sell them to youths under 18 years.
He said he was not aware of any side-effects from smoking shisha.
He said smoking shisha was the culture in Middle East countries but it appeared to be more a fashion statement in Asia.
"I have seen parents who allow their young children to smoke it under their supervision but if an unsupervised minor asks for the shisha, I decline," he said.
At Sri Hartamas, Razak Ramli, 20, and his girlfriend Norlia Aida Lufti, 17, said the shisha was certainly a stepping stone to cigarettes for youngsters.
Razak, a despatch rider with a bank, said he noted that he smoked more cigarettes every time he used the shisha.
"I am not satisfied by the shisha and have to take a cigarette for the extra kick."
Norlia said she started out with shisha and graduated to cigarettes. "Nowadays I must have a cigarette after the shisha," she added.
Indonesian shisha operator in Bangsa Baru, Mohd Tham Andri, 23, said he ventured into the business about three months ago as it was lucrative.
He has six hookahs and makes about RM300 a day. He operates between 8pm and 2am daily.
"For users, the shisha is like dessert after a meal. Business is very good, especially on Fridays and Saturdays."
Tham, who said most of his customers were teenagers, does not monitor their age.
"As long as they can pay, I will allow them to use it. I am not sure if it is against the laws to sell shisha to minors. I know it is an offence to sell cigarettes to minors."
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© Copyright 2004 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

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