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Preserving Hookah Culture&Protecting Hookah Tradition across the USA
December 4, 2023
The National Hookah Community Association (NHCA)brings together, and serves as the voice of, hookah producers,
distributors, sellers, hookah lounge owners, consumers, and community members who support the preservation of
hookah's cultural traditions. We are writing to request that as you consider the ban on flavored tobacco products,you
acknowledge the cultural significance of hookah to minority and immigrant populations as well as the lack of youth access
to, and use of, the product. Honolulu County did so when they passed a flavored tobacco ban with an exemption for
hookah just a few weeks ago. NHCA has worked with California, and with many other state and local governments
including Colorado, Columbus, Denver, San Diego, San Jose; Los Angeles, and others, to include exemptions for hookah
in recent flavor ban legislation.
Hookah is a small category in the tobacco space, making up only roughly 0.005% of nicotine product sales. However,
hookah is an important cultural practice to many and one that has existed for centuries, originating in the Middle East and
India. Today, a broad cross-section of immigrants in the U.S. from around the world enjoy hookah at home and in
lounges as a centerpiece for cultural, business, and social gatherings. Hookah is widely used by Middle Eastern,
Armenian, Turkish, East African, Indian, Persian, Indonesian, and other minority immigrant citizens. Hookah lounges
across the country have come to serve as safe gathering places for many diverse ethnic and religious communities.
Despite the importance of this social practice and tradition, NHCA members continue to find that many policymakers are
often unfamiliar with hookah, its practice, and its community.
NHCA fully supports efforts to eliminate youth access and usage of tobacco products, including hookah. Hookah is
unlikely to be used or consumed by youth for many reasons. Hookah water pipes are expensive, several feet tall, not
easily concealed, and the setup for use is a lengthy process. Lounges that offer hookah are restricted to of-age
customers, preventing teens from accessing the product. Recent research by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC)found that just 1%of middle and high school students used hookah in the past 30 days, eight times
less than the number of teens who vape.
Shisha,the product used in hookah, is a combination of tobacco and a sugar substance such as honey or molasses, and
the total product is only comprised of approximately 15%tobacco. As has been the practice for hundreds of years,
hookah is, by nature, a flavored product. Unfortunately, noble efforts to address the teen vaping epidemic by banning
flavored tobacco also would result in the ban of ALL hookah.
A ban on hookah would not only eliminate this important cultural practice for many U.S. citizens, but could also shutter
many small, independent, and minority owned businesses. Many of these businesses serve as community gathering
places for immigrant populations in cities across the country. Many hookah users are part of religious or ethnic
populations that already face discrimination. Eliminating this cultural practice would make many feel as though they are
misunderstood and targeted as an outsider by lawmakers and regulators.
We ask that you do not target this important cultural practice and shutter minority and immigrant owned businesses.
Please grant an exemption for hookah from any flavored tobacco ban.
National Hookah Community Association
Comm. No. So.
.
www.nationalhookah.com Ref. To:
Ref. Date '..0 _ 2023