Hookah fans hit back

20 April 2006

THE Recorder website has been flooded with readers' comments in response to last week's front page story about 11-year-old girls being served hookah in a cafe.

An investigation by the Recorder revealed that children under-16 have been sold a hookah smoke, which is flavoured tobacco, in some shops and cafes in Ilford.

Legitimate venues ask for identification and some serve under-age smokers with herbal hookah, which has no tobacco and is not illegal.

Hookah is a tobacco pipe with a long flexible tube connected to a container where the smoke is cooled by passing it through water.

An Arab health study has found that sheesha, another name for the tobacco pipe, has high amounts of nicotine and smoking one sheesha is equivalent to smoking 18 cigarettes.

Reader Hussain Kapadia told our website: "Sheesha is smooth and not harsh, unlike cigarettes.

"I have been doing it for a while and it has not affected my health in any way."

Kadz said he has always been asked for ID every time he's been into a hookah cafe in Ilford.

Moshin expressed his concern about hookah businesses suffering because of the story.

He said: "Individuals that run a hookah business should get tighter and be more aware of young children asking to smoke the pipe.

"Then again we shouldn't put all the blame on the owners, but also on the children and parents too."

Redbridge Council launched a probe after our story and a spokesman said: "The sale of tobacco is regulated by law and traders must not sell tobacco or any tobacco based smoking mixture to children under the age of 16 years of age.

"Any trader who sells tobacco to a person under the age of 16 is breaking the law and committing a criminal offence.

"Where businesses are found selling any age restricted goods to children further enforcement action will be taken by the Trading Standards Service, which may result in the trader being prosecuted in a court of law.

"As well as legal action being taken, under the provisions of the new Licensing Act 2003, traders must ensure children are protected from harm. Where traders fail to do this and contravene legislation, licences could also be at risk."

But despite many hookah shops having signs warning under-16s they are not allowed to smoke the pipe, we found children were not being turned away.

Researchers in the United States found that the impact of water pipe smoking causes teeth and mouth diseases.

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