Shisha to be banned in Singapore

Ban on shisha to start kicking in this month
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh And Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 5 Nov 2014

A BAN on the import, distribution and sale of shisha, which is viewed as more harmful than cigarettes, will start later this month.

But existing importers and sellers of the tobacco can continue their business until July 31, 2016.

This transitional measure will give them time to clear their stock and move into another business, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Faishal Ibrahim said yesterday when announcing the ban.

He, however, did not specify when it will start.

The new move also forbids people from buying shisha tobacco abroad and bringing it here for personal consumption, he added.

Dr Faishal made the announcement in Parliament in reply to Dr Chia Shi-Lu (Tanjong Pagar GRC).

Smoking shisha involves burning a flavoured tobacco mixture and smoking it through a pipe connected to a water vessel.

It is widely done in the Middle East and has grown in popularity in Singapore.

The Health Promotion Board has, for several years, been educating people on the health risks of shisha smoking.

In 2009, a public consultation on anti-smoking laws led to talk of a ban on shisha, but it did not materialise.

Still, the number of licensed shisha retailers has dropped steadily over the years, according to Health Sciences Authority figures.

There were 44 of them in 2011, and 41 in 2012. Last year, the number fell to 32 and as of last month, it was down to 16, located in areas such as Boat Quay and Kampong Glam.

Asked why shisha is being banned when cigarettes are allowed to be sold, a Health Ministry spokesman told The Straits Times: "Shisha is a relatively recent development in Singapore compared to cigarettes, which are entrenched.

"Therefore, it is timely and necessary for us to ban shisha now and prevent it from becoming entrenched in Singapore."

A 2010 National Health Survey found 2.6 per cent of adults aged 18 to 69 smoke shisha occasionally, compared with 14.3 per cent who smoke cigarettes daily.

Dr Faishal said that owing to its sweet-smelling smoke, shisha smoking is often seen as less harmful and addictive.

But these misconceptions and its social nature - with people grouped around the hookah used to smoke shisha - have contributed to a rise in shisha smoking worldwide, especially among the young. This is worrying as it may serve as a "gateway to cigarette smoking", he added.

A single shisha smoking session is equivalent to puffing at least 100 cigarettes. Also, the smoke, compared with cigarette smoke, contains higher levels of harmful toxicants like nicotine.

Dr Chia also asked if measures were in place to prevent the illicit use and sale of shisha.

Dr Faishal said his ministry has developed - with other government agencies - a regulatory and enforcement framework to curb such activities.

Owners and managers at five shisha shops interviewed were naturally disappointed.

Mr Gaser Aly, 42, of Cedar Grill in Boat Quay said the ban would lead to a plunge in business. The Lebanese restaurant serves mainly expatriates from the Middle East, where shisha is an after-meal tradition.

"For Middle Eastern cuisine, one of the items definitely is shisha," he said.

Post by Ministry of Health.

Post by Ministry of Health.

Cafe owners expect big hit from shisha ban
They say sales of the tobacco account for up to 80% of takings
By Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 5 Nov 2014

THE Government's clampdown on shisha will hurt business badly, according to most cafe and restaurant owners offering it.

Shops selling the product - which is burnt and smoked through a pipe connected to a water vessel - said shisha sales account for 60 per cent to 80 per cent of their business.

Two shops that have stopped selling shisha in the past year said they have seen a drop of up to 70 per cent in takings.

The ban on the import, distribution and sale of the tobacco product, which starts later this month, was announced by Parliamentary Secretary for Health Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim yesterday. Existing importers and sellers of the tobacco can continue to do business until July 31, 2016.

As of last month, there were 16 licensed shisha retailers located in areas such as Boat Quay and Kampong Glam - a number that has dwindled in recent years. There were 47 shisha cafes in 2010, up from just one in 2002.

Last year, 12 out of 23 such cafes in Kampong Glam had their outdoor smoking licences revoked for allowing shisha smoking outside designated areas.

At Going Om, a cafe and bar in Haji Lane, business has dropped by 70 per cent since the shop stopped selling shisha a year ago.

Going Om owner Oliver Pang, 40, said he now focuses on food, drinks and yoga and meditation classes, among other things. Despite his efforts to restructure his business, the shop is still making a loss, he said.

Lebanese cafe and restaurant Tabbouleh has similarly seen a 60 per cent drop in takings since it stopped selling shisha two months ago. Owner Mohamad Slim, 33, said he has already contacted two realtors to help sell the shop in Arab Street.

Mr Slim claims that some shops in the area currently sell shisha illegally, attracting business away from his shop.

Shop owners and managers whom The Straits Times spoke to also pointed out that shisha is imbedded in Middle Eastern culture.

Mr Gaser Aly, 42, a chef at Ceder Grill, a Lebanese restaurant at Boat Quay, said shisha is a part of Middle Eastern cuisine, to be enjoyed after a meal.

Most of the restaurant's patrons are expatriates from the Middle East, he said.

One cafe that is considering closing is Ogopogo, in Bussorah Street.

Shop owner Levine Teo, 35, said he started selling shisha nine months after he opened his cafe 21/2 years ago.

One shop that will not be hit hard, however, is Shiraz Restaurant at Clarke Quay. Shiraz F&B head of marketing Arun Ratnaa said most the restaurant's takings comes from food and drinks.

In a statement yesterday, the National Cancer Centre said that it strongly supports the shisha ban.

Shisha smokers whom The Straits Times spoke to expressed their unhappiness over the ban.

Shisha smoking on decline over past 2 years
Number of licensed retailers has dropped from 49 in 2012 to 16 today
By Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 10 Nov 2014

THOSE strolling down Arab Street two years ago could have pictured themselves in the Middle East, with loudspeakers blasting Arabic music and the aroma of spit-roasted shawarma meats in the air.

And spilling out onto the roadsides were patrons of overcrowded cafes and restaurants, who would sit at makeshift tables inhaling flavoured tobacco from brightly coloured water pipes.

Fast forward to today, and the street, which has become synonymous with shisha in Singapore over the past decade, is orderly.

Last year, the authorities revoked the outdoor smoking licences of 12 out of 23 shisha cafes in the area for allowing shisha smoking outside designated areas. Under the law, food establishments are allowed to have smoking areas of up to one-fifth of their outdoor refreshment areas.

There are now 16 licensed shisha retailers, with the majority in Kampong Glam. This is a far cry from the 49 in 2012.

A ban on the import, distribution and sale of shisha, which will kick in later this month, will allow existing retailers to sell the tobacco product until July 31, 2016.

Noting the gradual decline in shisha providers over the past two years, seven businesses, ranging from carpet shops to an outdoor gear retailer in the Arab Street area, told The Straits Times they were not surprised by the ban announced in Parliament last week.

They were also generally supportive of the move, citing the harmful effects of smoking.

But the first shisha retailer in Singapore, Cafe Le Caire's owner Ameen Talib, said: "The fact is that shisha brought a certain character to the area, led it to be known as an Arabic Quarter and added a certain vibrancy."

Dr Talib, 52, first received a tobacco retail licence from the Health Sciences Authority in September 2001, two months after opening his restaurant in the then sleepy Arab Street.

The former accountancy professor, a third-generation Arab Singaporean, said he wanted to rejuvenate the former Arab Quarter of colonial-era Singapore.

"When you walk around, you need to smell the aroma of kebab, the aroma of shisha. Visually, you need to see people sitting on the road relaxed, smoking shisha. You get the feeling you are in the Middle East. And you need to hear Arabic music as you walk down the road," he said.

Around 2007, shisha cafes started spilling out onto the streets, and the Land Transport Authority and National Environment Agency fined retailers and smokers over infringements.

As the problem worsened - with many cafes flouting the rules as the trade attracted hundreds of customers each week - the authorities started to revoke the tobacco retail licences of errant shops.

Shisha shops have said they will be badly hit by the ban. Shisha smokers also said they may stop patronising the Kampong Glam area.

"It is pretty much the only reason that we come here," said Ms Serene Lim, 23, a university student who visits the area about once every two months.

But other businesses in the area, such as textile and carpet shops, supported the ban. Mr Saeid Labbafi, 45, a carpet shop owner and president of the One Kampong Glam Association, which aims to preserve Kampong Glam's heritage as well as promote cultural and business activities, was all for it.

"With the ban of shisha, if F&B operators concentrate on their food and if they improve the quality of their food, they will be able to win their customers back again," he said.

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