Vancouver Gives Smoking Exmption to Hookah Parlors

NRO The Corner ^ | 9/27/07 | Mark Steyn

[CaptRon]

Via Instapundit

[CaptRon]

When will the West say "enough"?

[3AngelaD]

Next: Vancouver Gives exemption to honor murders, issues special permits for multiple wives.

[raybbr]

ping

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Hookahs have become something of a fad recently — it’s not just Muslims who are using them.

Smoking bans have gone too far — around here there’s even a ban on smoking outdoors in patios attached to pubs, etc.

It’s good to see some easing — and bad that the motivation appears to be pandering to Muslims.

[CaptRon]

[Emad Yacoub] said hookah lounges are essential for immigrants from hookah-smoking cultures, because it helps them deal with the depression common for newcomers and gives them places like they have at home.

What about people who want to smoke in a bar to deal with the depression of their government giving away the store to those who wish us nothing good?

[Drew68]

The state, in other words, is prepared to treat Muslims as free-born adults who can weigh the "cultural value" (ie, the pleasures) of smoking against the health risks. But not the rest of us.

Something to think about...

[Drew68]

Hookahs have become something of a fad recently — it’s not just Muslims who are using them.

I've noticed more often that hookah and cigar bars are being granted exemptions from anti-smoking ordinances --probably because they are trendy. This begs the question, can you go to a hookah or cigar bar and light up a cigarette?

[llevrok]

Vansterdam ?

[Drew68]

When will the West say "enough"?

One of the positives of pandering to Muslims might be rolling back some of the smoking bans. I've been to many Islamic countries and those people are serious smokers. You can smoke everywhere --elevators, restrooms, shopping malls, airports, etc...

[walkerk]

This begs the question, can you go to a hookah or cigar bar and light up a cigarette?

For many years those places which allowed smoking usually disallowed cigar and pipe smoking. So you have probably already guessed the answer.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

That’s a good question!

[3AngelaD]

There is a cigar and martini bar in downtown DC that used to allow cigarette smoking. I haven’t been there for several years, and the city has banned smoking, so who knows now. The cigar smoke in that place was so thick that the cigarette smoke hardly registered. I had to leave after five minutes and a chugged martini.