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The US ban on smoking hookahs in bars has become an embarrassing public health embarrassment.
So many people are smoking hookah that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it could soon be in jeopardy of having its ban on the habit repealed.
The CDC estimates that between 3 million and 4 million Americans have smoked hookah in the past five years, and they have been using it for decades.
While there are few hard numbers on how many hookah smokers are in the country, the CDC estimated there are between 6 million and 8 million people who use the product.
This could make the ban moot, but there are many who feel the ban is a relic from the past, and that it is now an inconvenience rather than a necessary restriction.
“It’s a little bit of a burden for the industry to be a smoker in these days, when people are going to bars for a couple of hours and don’t want to be seen smoking hookha,” said David Schoelzer, a health care consultant in the Boston area who works with hookah users.
“They’re not going to use hookah if they’re not smoking.
So I think there’s a lot that people are confused about, but if you ask them, they’ll say, ‘Oh, I don’t know.
Mr Schoellers experience as a hookhah smoker led him to start his own business, a restaurant called Aromatic, which serves alcohol and hookah drinks in a space that resembles a bar. “
The way it’s worked out is that it’s not really a good idea to be out there at bars and smoking hookhas.”
Mr Schoellers experience as a hookhah smoker led him to start his own business, a restaurant called Aromatic, which serves alcohol and hookah drinks in a space that resembles a bar.
“I have a passion for hookah, and I’ve tried to educate people on it, but I’m just kind of trying to be honest with myself and just say, let’s go back to the way things were, and let’s do things in a different way,” he said.
Mr Schoeelers business partner, Sami Saffron, has also experimented with smoking hookhas in his home.
“People think we’re crazy to try it, like, ‘How can you smoke hookah?
We don’t even have a hookahs here,'” he said, laughing.
“But it’s actually a really great way to kick the habit.”
‘It’s like a drug’ While some argue that the ban on hookah is outdated, many have also argued that it will actually make it harder for people to quit smoking.
While the US bans smoking hookas in bars and restaurants, most states have a loophole for hookahs to be used in other places where smoking is legal, such as public parks and beaches.
And some states have already repealed bans on smoking.
“The US is one of the few countries that does not regulate hookahs,” said Dr Sarah Schaffer, a US health care expert and the author of The Hookah Cookbook, a guide to hookah smoking.
Dr Schaffer said the US ban was a relic of the past that was unnecessary.
“This is a ban that has no basis in science, and it is a drug,” she said.
“When people have a bad hangover, for example, they are less likely to go back out and have a good hangover if they can’t get rid of the hangover before they go to the bar.”
While the ban has had a positive effect on reducing smoking in the state, the US government does not officially regulate hookah.
The ban does not require a doctor’s prescription or even a doctor-patient relationship, and most hookahs are sold in health food stores and pharmacies.
So while the ban might not seem like a big deal, some people are concerned about the impact it will have on their health.
“My concern is that the hookah ban is just going to cause more and more people to go to hookahs, and then we’re going to see a rise in hookah-related hospitalisations,” said Mr Schuellers partner, Mr Saffro.
The US bans hookahs at bars, but states may also regulate their sale online or through pharmacies. “
And if people can’t smoke hookahs because they don’t have a doctor or a pharmacy, they’re going get sicker and sicker.”
The US bans hookahs at bars, but states may also regulate their sale online or through pharmacies.
But for now, hookah remains illegal in many states, and many hookahs still sell hookah products on the street or at drug stores.
The Health Department said it would look into the ban.
“We have to be careful not to let the ban discourage people from trying to quit hookah,” said Ms Schoeller.
“A lot of people have tried to quit.
And if you do that and it does not work out, you might want to try a different kind of hookah.”
