Shisha cafes must stop selling shisha, Thai officials warn of crackdown

[Bluespunk]

Ok, if it's banned then of course they can't sell it.

The question that any reasonable reporter would have answered is; why is it banned in the first place?

Cancer?

[Cthulhu]

Couldn't The General just adopt the principle employed in the old Soviet Union; ie everything that is not expressly permitted is forbidden?

It would be much more efficient than having to dream up a new ban every day.

[lumply]

Shisha is much less harmful way of smoking tobacco. If you've ever tried it before, you would understand what I'm talking about.

Totally incorrect. Health authorities here in the Middle East are so concerned about shisha smoking that bans are already in place. Certainly it is forbidden where food is served, and quite rightly so. Shisha is extremely harmful, both to the smoker (for whom I have no concern), but particularly the second hand smoke issue even in the open. Only people who are ignorant of the facts smoke shisha, or indeed smoke anything.

[lovetotravel]

http://www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/prevention/smoking/shisha.aspx

Traditionally shisha tobacco contains cigarette tobacco, so like cigarettes it contains nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and heavy metals, such as arsenic and lead. As a result, shisha smokers are at risk of the same kinds of diseases as cigarette smokers, such as heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease and problems during pregnancy.

It’s difficult to say exactly how much smoke or toxic substances you’re exposed to in a typical shisha session.People smoke shisha for much longer periods of time than they smoke a cigarette, and in one puff of shisha you inhale the same amount of smoke as you’d get from a smoking a whole cigarette.

The average shisha-smoking session lasts an hour and research has shown that in this time you can inhale the same amount of smoke as from more than 100 cigarettes.

Some people mistakenly think that shisha smoking is not addictive because the water used in the pipe can absorb nicotine. In reality, because only some of the nicotine is absorbed by the water, shisha smokers are still exposed to enough nicotine to cause an addiction.

[spermwhale]

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Also it is a FOREIGN indulgence so ..... well you know.

Noooo.... If you go to many clubs that cater Thais in their 20s in Bangkok you'll find these pipes there too. I've seen them in many places.

[Equalizer]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

That may indeed be true but in the case of shisha targeting student areas in mentioned, indicating a concern about health, and keep in mind shisha smoking is extremely carcinogenic.

Not as Carcinogenic as tobacco as facts dictate.

[easybullet3]

Good

[maccastime]

Interesting.

These are very popular in Pattaya ... among Middle Eastern tourists, Thais, and also Russian tourists.

I was in a restaurant the other day and it was all Russian tourists doing that ... the stink ruined the food experience of eating unfortunately.

It sounds like that kind of place would be a low priority to crack down on based on the OP. Hmm.

The smell of these is not that bad really,compared to the foul smelling stinking Cigars that some of the lads insist on puffing on.Who are they trying to impress??

[Equalizer]

Shisha is much less harmful way of smoking tobacco. If you've ever tried it before, you would understand what I'm talking about.

Totally incorrect. Health authorities here in the Middle East are so concerned about shisha smoking that bans are already in place. Certainly it is forbidden where food is served, and quite rightly so. Shisha is extremely harmful, both to the smoker (for whom I have no concern), but particularly the second hand smoke issue even in the open. Only people who are ignorant of the facts smoke shisha, or indeed smoke anything.

A 2008 study on hookah smoking and cancer in Pakistan^[2] found that serum CEA levels in ever/exclusive hookah smokers were higher than in non-smokers and lower than in cigarette smokers. The study also concluded that heavy hookah smoking (2–4 daily preparations; 3–8 sessions a day; 2 to 6 hours net daily smoking time) substantially raises CEA levels.^[2]

[raro]

I had some dealings with the Bureau of Tobacco Control about a year ago and they told me those days that a law draft to ban Shishas and electronic cigarettes was in the making. Has nothing to do with our present government, this was under preparation for a while.

The reasoning was that there is no control whatsoever about the substances in those devices and this again triggers health concerns.

[animatic]

Once in a blue moon I have an apple or grape Shisha, nothing with tobacco, it can be relaxing.

The general is sounding downright Nixonian. I get as much or more toxic air walking down Soi 3

or Sukhumvit, than sitting off the road doing something occasionally pleasurable.

Edited August 18, 2014 by animatic

[pkspeaker]

you gotta be shittin me ! i can't believe their serious, i'm watching federer on the tennis channle or a movie and that &lt;deleted&gt; takes over every station and we gotta watch his bullshit, even though we're paying 3000baht a month for the cable bill. is 'paryuth gonna pay my cable tv bill for now on.. now we can't smoke a water pipe.. fk the ncpo already..at least Yingluck never forced us to watch her bullshit everynite

[tomyumchai]

What a waste of time and resources. All those people puffing away in Soi 3 and 3/1 aren't harming anyone except themselves.

What about passive smoking affecting others?

Then don't go to a shisha bar?

have you BEEN to thailand recently? that crap is everywhere. does give me a chuckle tho when you see 1 person with coldsores puffing away and sharing it with all the other sheep around them........

[doctorproc156]

I had some dealings with the Bureau of Tobacco Control about a year ago and they told me those days that a law draft to ban Shishas and electronic cigarettes was in the making. Has nothing to do with our present government, this was under preparation for a while.

The reasoning was that there is no control whatsoever about the substances in those devices and this again triggers health concerns.

Then why not legalize and control it? I really don't see how this ban is going to work at all, all this ban means is more tea money in the pockets of policemen around these bars just like everything else thats banned in thailand

[Jingthing]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

That may indeed be true but in the case of shisha targeting student areas in mentioned, indicating a concern about health, and keep in mind shisha smoking is extremely carcinogenic.

Not as Carcinogenic as tobacco as facts dictate.

It is tobacco dude.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[DrTuner]

All this banning and enforcing and banning again will lead to one thing: civil disobedience. Any laws they will make will then be laughed at. Not the way to go.

[jaapfries]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

Rubbish: Both E-Cigarettes AND the Shisha Tobacco are extremely hazardous to one's health ! ! ! End of argument.

[millwall_fan]

When we were in Cambodia at Easter, Hun Sen had just banned Shisha pipes. Now it looks as though our strong man dictator is following suit.

If we all stopped doing everything that was bad for us, life would be very boring. I've smoked a hookah a couple of times on soi 3 and enjoyed it as part of the experience of being in the Arab quarter. The problem is that sadly, many Thais don't know when to stop (drinking, smoking, gambling, political violence etc etc) Maybe like in the Middle East with alcohol, only people who can prove they're not Thai should be allowed to smoke shisha......

[Malthus101]

It's pointless &lt;deleted&gt; moves like this that get people clammering for the "good old days" of Yingluck's government.

I don't see the junta staying in power for a whole lot longer either.

[deknoiJT]

Shisha is much less harmful way of smoking tobacco. If you've ever tried it before, you would understand what I'm talking about.

I too like to use personal experience to trump fact!!

[deknoiJT]

hen perhaps Mc'ds should start showing customers giant posters of cholesterol ridden arteries, incredibly obese people etc.

How places serving animal flesh show pictures af the undigested meat left in a corpe's bowels...

Why stop there?

Indeed. You're preaching to the choir. I favor government regulation of large food companies. They are indeed a contributor to the global obesity epidemic. I think in that case it would be more productive to go after the INGREDIENTS in their products though.

It is not an EPIDEMIC me old salt.

Epidemic proportions just maybe.

We could be emotive and name it a crisis

A crisis of laziness and slothfullness worldwide

[aripengu]

Long live the allmighty leaders and their crusade against anything that doesn't fit in their square microbrains.

[Naam]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

That may indeed be true but in the case of shisha targeting student areas in mentioned, indicating a concern about health, and keep in mind shisha smoking is extremely carcinogenic.

more dangerous is lying down on a bed, mattress, mat or plain floor. statistics prove that most people end their lives in this position

note to JT: you just qualified for the award " possesses a wealth of no idea concerning shisha smoking."

[Equalizer]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

That may indeed be true but in the case of shisha targeting student areas in mentioned, indicating a concern about health, and keep in mind shisha smoking is extremely carcinogenic.

Not as Carcinogenic as tobacco as facts dictate.

It is tobacco dude.

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

A 2008 study on hookah smoking and cancer in Pakistan^[2] found that serum CEA levels in ever/exclusive hookah smokers were higher than in non-smokers and lower than in cigarette smokers. The study also concluded that heavy hookah smoking (2–4 daily preparations; 3–8 sessions a day; 2 to 6 hours net daily smoking time) substantially raises CEA levels.^[2]

[sambum]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

Correct Canopus! It doesn't seem to matter about the health issue!

[SuwadeeS]

Shisha is much less harmful than driving cars, why not bannig cars with all the pollution?????

[joshuatdixon]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

That may indeed be true but in the case of shisha targeting student areas in mentioned, indicating a concern about health, and keep in mind shisha smoking is extremely carcinogenic.

Perhaps it's to do with the same reasoning behind the possible warning graphics/pictures proposed for alcoholic containers too?

[sambum]

The reason they want to clamp down on that and the electronic cigarettes is they are missing out on collecting the tax

Rubbish: Both E-Cigarettes AND the Shisha Tobacco are extremely hazardous to one's health ! ! ! End of argument.

So YOU decide to make a statement and then declare "End of argument" I bet you have a wonderful home life! And by the way, I agree that E-Cigarettes and Shisha may be "hazardous" to your health, but I would save the "extremely" word for "ordinary" cigarettes!

[Gandtee]

I posted this on another thread re taxing sugared drinks. I think it should now be on this thread.

I have just finished reading a book Bootleg by Alex Shearer to my grandson, where the theme is the banning of chocolate and anything sweet by the Good For You Party. It would seem that fiction is not far from the truth. Perhaps in the future we will have a Good For You Party where they ban everything that is enjoyable. We already have a Make The People Happy Party so this may not be so ridiculous as we think. Better perhaps to go back to the Second World War situation where food was rationed in the UK. Very few fat people in those days. Am I allowed to say fat? Slim challenged perhaps?

[biplanebluey]

They must have starter reaching the bottom of the to do list, if this is a big issue.

Or if its alphabetical.

Shisha

Shinawatra.....

Shinawatra comes before Shisha alphabetically----------- so are you saying we're finished dealing with Shinawatra??????????????????????