Since the terms are often confused for one another, here are some definitions:
- Hookah– this is a water-pipe that originated in India and in the Middle-East but is becoming popular around the world. Hookah pipes can have many tubes or just one tube that is passed around making smoking a hookah
a social event.
- Shisha– this is what is placed inside of a hookah and smoked. It is a syrupy mix of tobacco and molasses and is usually flavoured.
Hookah, Shisha and the Smoke-Free Ontario Act
Smoking shisha is not permitted inside of a business such as a bar, restaurant or café just like cigarettes or cigars. Because many packages of shisha do not have health warnings or translated ingredient lists, it can be almost impossible to tell if it actually contains tobacco. So even though you might think you are smoking an ‘herbal’ form of shisha that is supposed to be tobacco-free, it might still have tobacco in it.
Health Effects
There are many claims that smoking from a hookah is less dangerous than smoking cigarettes. Since hookahs are smoked for a long time, with sessions lasting almost an hour, a person can breathe in hundreds of times as much smoke as they would with a single cigarette. People who smoke hookahs have been found to have a higher risk of cancer than non-smokers. Also, because the mouthpieces of the hoses attached to hookah are passed from person to person, there is a risk of spreading germs and diseases.