| The hookah pipe is a popular method of smoking | | | | work their way around the new laws. |
| tobacco. Originally from India, the tradition has spread | | | | Canada |
| around the world over several centuries as the world | | | | In Canada and Britain, places where hookah pipes are |
| has become more and more of a global melting pot | | | | smoked are often referred to as shisha bars. |
| of cultures. Although the hookah is present in some | | | | Canadian shisha bar owners have managed to |
| form in most countries around the world, the laws | | | | arrange special permits to allow them to continue |
| surrounding their use can differ a good deal from | | | | their business in the face of smoking legislation, just |
| country to country. This article will explain a brief | | | | like in the US. As with smoking cigarettes, there is a |
| breakdown of the major differences between | | | | legal age that applies to smoking shisha. In Canada |
| hookah laws in different parts of the world. | | | | the legal age for smoking varies between 18 and 19, |
| US | | | | depending on the state. |
| In the United States, hookah lounges and bars were | | | | United Kingdom |
| affected negatively by the introduction of laws | | | | There have been new anti-smoking laws introduced |
| banning smoking in public places and tobacco bans. | | | | in the UK in recent years, similar to the new laws in |
| Some hookah users and bars get around this by | | | | the States. Mostly they focus on banning smoking in |
| smoking an alternative tobacco substitute made from | | | | indoor or closed-off areas. There are fines involved |
| herbs. It is also possible for the proprietor of a | | | | for individuals who violate the laws, but the |
| hookah lounge to apply for a special permit that | | | | proprietors themselves face much heavier fines than |
| allows people to smoke on their premises. But | | | | the individual actually caught smoking. |
| generally speaking, there are not so many places | | | | Of course, despite these limits, it is still legal to |
| now where you can find a hookah unless the bar is | | | | smoke a shisha pipe in the privacy of your own |
| not specifically dedicated to hookah smoking. It is | | | | home in all these countries – provided you are in |
| difficult for a bar owner to obtain a special permit if | | | | an area that doesn't have a full tobacco ban. The |
| they have customers who are not there to smoke. | | | | laws are designed to reduce the impact of smoking |
| There are also many people campaigning to make | | | | on other people who would prefer a smoke-free |
| sure that the hookah lounges aren't allowed to simply | | | | environment. |