New legislation imposes health and safety regulations on hookah establishments
Gentile: ‘Hookah Smoke is No Joke’
On Wednesday, Sept. 27, City Councilmember Vincent Gentile helped pass a bill that’s been seven years in the making. The new legislation imposes more stringent health and safety regulations that hookah establishments will have to adhere to.
As with the case of cigarette smoking being prohibited indoors under the current law, hookah smoke will be added to that prohibition. The new law will not take effect, however, until Mayor Bill de Blasio has signed off on it.
According to a statement from Gentile, smoking hookah has been scientifically shown to be just as dangerous as smoking 100 cigarettes in one session due to the carcinogens produced and the length of time people use hookah pipes versus smoking one cigarette.