No smoke without ire: Jordan hookah ban sparks uproar

Smoking arghila has become a tradition

"This decision will definitely have a negative impact on us and mean thousands of people lose their jobs," said cafe manager Emran Torsha.
"The government should not make decisions this way," Torsha said as dozens of men and women, young and old, smoked hookah with their drinks and snacks and listened to live music.
"What should we do with customers who come here to escape from life's daily pressures?"
Tourism Minister Nidal Qatamin has urged "a gradual implementation of the ban, taking business interests into consideration".
"The government will not go back on this decision," Hiasat says. Smokers ignore the ban
But it was still widely ignored -- including in government buildings and in public places such as hospitals and schools.
"If the government wants to preserve public health, it should find a solution to vehicle, industrial and waste pollution," Torsha said, adding that Jafra's hookah licence expires in February.
Health experts warn that the many fruity flavours of hookah -- also known as narghile, arghila and shisha -- can make users forget they are inhaling tobacco.
"What is the substitute for us after the government banned arghila? Where should we go?" asked Wasim Yusef, a 36-year-old employee at a privately owned firm, as he smoked hookah at Jafra with friends.
"Smoking arghila has become a tradition. It's my only entertainment. I think the ban is wrong -- it should be reconsidered."
Smoking hookah is both popular and cheap in Jordan, where delivery companies supplying water pipes have sprung up across the kingdom. Nearly half the population smokes
"Every year, a total of 5,000 cancer cases are registered in Jordan. Around 40 percent of these are related to smoking," said Firas Hawwari of the King Hussein Cancer Centre.
"Fighting smoking has become a strategic decision for Jordan. It should be implemented without any delay."
Faten Hanaia, who heads the Tobacco-Free Jordan society, agreed, calling the ban "a first step towards preventing smoking in all public places, and we know this takes time".
"I don't understand this government decision," Amal Nasser, a 40-year-old non-smoker, said at a cafe in western Amman.
"How about enforcing the smoking ban for real in government buildings?" she suggested.
"I don't think there's a pressing demand in Jordan to ban arghila. If people want to blow smoke in other people's faces in an arghila place, let them do it."