Hookah Smoking at Emory

A few weeks ago, after a couple years of nicotine stained fingernails and choking on clear air, I turned to my friend Shreyas and announced I was quitting smoking cigarettes. After a relieved congratulations he said, “Don't worry. We can smoke hookah at my place to get you through”. As good natured as Shreyas' suggestion may have been, trying to quit one form of tobacco smoking by replacing it with another didn't seem like a very good idea. Still, he'd said it so earnestly, making me worry that he wasn't really aware how bad hookah smoking can be.
Hookah, a water-pipe from the Middle East and South Asia used to smoke flavoured tobacco, has become a popular social activity with college students recently. In his CNN Money article entitled “Booming Hookah Biz Links China, Iran, Egypt, and Texas”, Justin Martin notes an increase of hookah lounges in the United States. He goes on to say that “while US smoking is at its lowest point in recorded history, US hookah smoking lounges have increased by 400% over the past 10 years”. Emory campus is no exception. When asked about hookah-related violations on Emory campus, Director of Student Conduct Eric Hoffman said, “it has remained fairly consistent in my two years here, but [violations] have increased from several years ago”.
Sophomore Gabriel Nahmias offers a reason for the popularity of hookah saying, “People, quite simply, need something to do. And hookah is a social activity for them to do”. Many Emory students who don't smoke cigarettes, say they do smoke hookah. Freshmen Nicki K explains that hookah is the only thing she smokes saying, “I like the taste, and all the bubbling”. The experience of smoking hookah is a pleasant one, even for those who aren't actually smoking. Junior Callie Moncus says she often joins her friends when they smoke hookah, not to partake, but because she likes the smell. Hookah smoking has become a widely acceptable form of smoking, mainly because of the social aspect having a multiple-hosed water-pipe brings. Gregory Borys, a sophomore who vehemently argues against cigarette smoking says “Hookah smoking is okay, because it's a social thing rather than about getting a buzz or a nicotine high. I always invite a group of friends over for a smoking session”.
As it's popularity rapidly increases, few people truly know the health risks of smoking hookah. Even at Emory's excessively health conscious campus, people seem unaware of the health ramification of smoking hookah. Sophomores Aashim Relan and Lakshmi Chandrashekar both said they think hookah smoking is better than cigarettes because there is no nicotine in hookah. In fact, according to Thomas Eissenberg's scientific study on hookah smoking for the WHO, a 45 minute hookah smoking session, “can deliver a substantial nicotine dose that may be equivalent to the dose delivered by approximately 10 cigarettes”. Upon hearing this statistic, Gregory Borys said, “I've heard 30 cigarettes and 5 cigarettes as well”, illustrating the lack of concrete scientific knowledge of college students when it comes to the subject of hookah Most Emory students say that they know “hookah smoking is bad”, but few are able to give specifics on the subject.
Moreover, hookah smoking displaced large volumes of smoking leading Eissenberg to conclude, “pulmonary dysfunction might be expected”, as a single one-hour water-pipe use episode “might exceed the smoke exposure of several packs of cigarettes”. Senior Faheem Khemani argues that these statistics are subjective because, “No one actually smokes for the entire time”. The social aspect of hookah, multiple people sharing on or two hoses, has people sharing more and puffing less, making it almost impossible to know how much smoke is actually being inhaled by each person. However, Eissenberg points out that “a single [hookah] puff may displace as much smoke as a whole cigarette” and “a typical smoking session consists of hundreds of puff cycles”. So, while time-period statistics may not accurately display the health risks of hookah for social smokers, it is clear that smoking hookah leads to large volumes of smoke inhalation; a definite health risk for anyone who decides to partake.
Eissenberg also tackles the difficult question of whether or not hookah is addictive. According to his findings, “while 96% of monthly users and 90% of weekly users reported that they believe that that they could quit using water-pipe at any time, only 68% of daily users shared this confidence”, showing the addictive potential of hookah smoking. Luckily, very few college students tend to be daily smokers, with constant academic demands that make it difficult to have daily hookah sessions. Since hookah is also a social activity, most Emory students say they only smoke hookah a few times a month with their friends, rather than on a daily basis.
When asked where he smokes hookah, sophomore Ishaan Sarna advised me to “bring your own to college”. Aashim Relan agrees saying, “It's more expensive to go off campus”. The closest hookah serving restaurant to campus, that is frequented by many Emory students, is Cafe Istanbul. According to their website, they charge between 12 and 15 dollars per a hookah. While this seems relatively cheap, at multiple visits a month, with more than one hookah for larger groups, the dollars begin to add up.
Gabriel Nahmias notes that most Emory students smoke in their rooms saying, “someone has one, we smoke in other people's rooms rather than go off campus”. This brings up the conduct issues associated with hookah smoking on college campuses. The official Emory conduct council policy on hookah smoking is “pipes, bongs, hookahs, and the like are not permitted. Residential staff may confiscate such items, regardless of their decorative purpose. Students are subject to judicial action if they are present in the room when any of the aforementioned drug violations take place”. While this policy is relatively easy to enforce in dorms rooms, it becomes more difficult in the apartments on the Clairmont campus.
Clairmont Tower RA Samantha Ehrlich says, “hookah rules are more difficult to enforce simply because in the tower it is very hard to localize smells. Typically hookahs are confiscated because they are seen by an RA or other member of the residence life staff when they are dealing with some other housing violation. It is possible that students are abusing their balconies”. Former Tower resident Eric Kosciuszko feels no apprehension when it comes to smoking hookah in Clairmont apartments saying “everyone knows they can get away with it”. McTyeire SA Vitaly Kats agrees saying, “It's way to easy to get way with smoking in The Tower”.
Still, many people have been “written up” for hookah and hookah-related conduct violations. Ehrlich also notes that “numerous hookahs have been confiscated this year from Tower residents”. Director of Student Conduct Eric Hoffman says, “we see students for smoking or possessing hookahs quite frequently”, showing that while most Emory students do not think they will get a caught smoking hookah, many do.
As for my attempt at a cigarette-free lifestyle, after realizing the negative effect hookah smoking can have on my health; my bank account; and, most important, my academic record; I think I'll try the patch instead.