Hookah Lounges Banned in One CA Town
Hookah lounges have increased in popularity across California, but in San Francisco, health department officials have been working to shutdown the lounges for about a year now – and it’s finally worked.
For those of you who don’t have them in your town, hookahs are big fancy pipes and lounges are cafes dedicated to their enjoyment. All kinds of loose tobacco is sold for patrons to smoke in their hookahs and, generally, Mediterranean food like baba ganouj and hummus are offered as well.
What’s the problem with hookah lounges? Tobacco is legal, right? Yes, tobacco is legal, but in San Francisco, there is a ban on indoor smoking and these lounges violate that rule. There’s also the idea that the smoking of other things other than tobacco may be happening, substances like salvia (which is also legal at this time) and marijuana (which is not without a medical marijuana card).
At a recent San Francisco Health Department meeting to discuss the issue, many shop owners heard that they would need to get rid of their tobacco stock and no longer offer the option of smoking any kind of tobacco pipe in their stores. The exact date that this new rule will come into effect hasn’t been decided yet, but the owners will need to shift their future plans for their business in a new direction to survive the hit.
Are Hookah Lounges an Addiction Threat?
Proponents of the ban say that it is possible to abuse anything, pointing out that head shops sell legal items but their wares for sale are often used to get high. They say also that some patrons will use hookah pipes to smoke substances other than tobacco – or mix their tobacco with other things.
Those who are against the ban may agree that abuse of the cafes may be possible but unlikely. They point out that medical marijuana cards are legal in California, but it is possible for the merchandise to be abused or sold on the street. They point out too that prescription drugs are legal, but those too can be abused or used and sold illegally.
What Do You Think?
Do you think hookah lounges are a threat to anyone’s sobriety? Do you think that it’s possible for addictions to start or flourish at smoking lounges? If so, do you think that they should be banned or do you think that regulation is a better answer?
My son who is currently in Drug Court (jail) has a good friend who is in Sober Living as he was arrested for posession of Heroin. He choose to go to Sober Living on his own. He emailed me the other day and was telling me how great the house was and he was really happy and he was hoping my son would go to a S.L. house too when he was released. He went on about all the activities they were doing and ended it with, “we even went to a Hookah Lounge.” Is this something that is acceptable for a S.L. place? He is 19 and my son is 20. They have been good friends since they were 6. They didn’t see much of each other the last couple of years and they both got addicted to H. My son has been for about one year (and then the previous year was OXI’s)the friend a couple of months and just to H. It is sad that they both found Heroin and didn’t even know the other was using until about 2 months ago. Luckily, this other kid was caught rather quickly and I hope that will turn out to be in his favor. But I am really confused/concerned they would take him to that place.
Tori,
There are hooka bars that are good and some i am sure are bad and maybe they let there patrons put other things in the hookah. But for just going to a hookah bar that follows the rules and only have tobacco well thats all it is tobacco and molasses flavoring. I smoke every day only tobacco. Also i have worked at a hookah bar and been to many others. I know of one time when i was working at one that someone tried to sneak weed into the hookah and was caught and kicked out. hookah tobacco smells sweet nothing like weed