Memphian Tyler Nance said he always enjoys throwing an impromptuget together at his apartment on a Saturday night.
Sometimes, in the midst of the party someone asks if anyonewould like a smoke, and, more often than not, Nance answers thatquestion by bringing out a lamp-like object, complete with achamber, bowl and tube.
But this is no bong. It's a water pipe known as a hookah, and itis used to smoke flavored tobacco.
"I always feel bad asking people to try it because they alwaysthink we are doing something illegal," Nance said. After taking along puff from the hookah, he continued, "once they actually try itthough, they really warm up to the idea. The smoke is incrediblysmooth and tastes oh so good."
A study conducted by the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies foundthat smoking tobacco through a hookah is generally viewed as morepositive than smoking other tobacco products, such as cigarettes.It is one of the first studies of smoking to look at socialattitudes and gender.
Although the study focuses on hookah smoking in the EasternMediterranean region, tobacco companies in the United States areinterested in the results because of a recent spread of hookahsmoking in bars. The authors of the study include Wasim Maziak ofthe SCTS, Thomas Eissenberg of VCU and Kenneth Ward of TheUniversity of Memphis' Center for Community Health.
"I've been conducting research on water pipe use for the pastcouple of years through my involvement with the Syrian Center forTobacco Studies," Ward said.
The standard of smoking in the Middle East for centuries, thehookah originated in Turkey more than 500 years ago and is commonin restaurants and cafes in the area.
Today it is also found in Pakistan, India and China.
"In the Middle East, water pipe smoking virtually died out mostof the past century," Ward said. "It made a comeback in the 1990s,most likely due to the introduction of a new form of water pipetobacco called maassel. It is moist, easy to use and is flavoredwith fruit, so it has a pleasant smell and taste. As such, it hasbecome very popular among young people."
Research conducted by Ward in places such as Syria, Lebanon andEgypt indicate that 20 percent to 30 percent of adults smoke waterpipes, and a rising percentage of college and high school studentsalso use them.
"Many users believe the water pipe is less harmful to healththan cigarettes," Ward said. "It's easy to see why people believethis because the tobacco is filtered through water and so it givesa very cool and fragrant smoke. Research is beginning toaccumulate, however, indicating that the water pipe produces thesame adverse health effects as cigarettes."
Ward said he is studying how addictive water pipe smokingis.
"It delivers as much, if not more, nicotine as cigarettes andtherefore has some potential for dependence," he said. "Ourresearch shows most users do not perceive themselves as beingaddicted and think they can quit anytime. However, there's a subgroup, about 20 percent of users, who smoke heavily and believethemselves to be addicted and incapable of quitting. We're in theprocess now of developing interventions to help this hardcore groupof users quit."
Ward said water pipe use seems to be spreading among youngpeople in Europe and the United States.
"I have found smoking from a hookah can be quite an enjoyableexperience," said Memphian Laura Smith, 21. "I've tried a lot ofdifferent smoking products, but nothing comes close to this."
U of M sophomore Paul Lynch, biology major, said he used to goto a cafe in Memphis and smoke.
"I went to this place called the Jerusalem Restaurant," Lynchsaid. "A great way to mellow out with friends is to toke up on thehookah. This place charged $7 for the first bowl and $5 forrefills. You could get your hookah complete with utilities andshisha for $150."
Tristan Hayes, a 20-year-old U of M economics major, said hefirst smoked out of a hookah when he visited Montreal.
"I loved it," he said. "Smoking out of a hookah is theequivalent of smoking mountain air."
