…Waiters at several coffee shops in the capital said the popularity of argileh increases “greatly†in Ramadan.
“Demand on argileh triples in Ramadan. Some young people who come to the Ramadan tents order argileh just to try it,†one waiter in a neighbourhood in west Amman told The Jordan Times.
But Bassem Hijjawi, director of the disease control department at the Health Ministry, expressed concern about the spike in demand for argileh, explaining that smoking the water pipe is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes.
“The tobacco in cigarettes is treated and purified. But there are no specifications for tobacco used in argileh. There is no control over making argileh in tents as well,†he said.
“Materials that are used to flavour the tobacco turn into chemicals when burned, and are harmful to health and might cause cancer,†Hijjawi added.
Health experts say that smoking argileh for an hour-and-a-half is equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes, while World Health Organisation studies have proven that some diseases, such as tuberculosis, can be transmitted by smoking argileh.
“If more than one person smokes argileh from the same pipe, which is sometimes not changed for a long time, infectious diseases may be transmitted and infect others,†warned Hijjawi.
He said the ministry will prohibit smoking in public places starting early next year, an ordinance that will be strictly enforced.
Recent studies show that Jordanians spent JD350 million on cigarettes last year as well as JD80 million on medicines to combat smoking-relating illnesses.
A study released last year by the Communication Partnership for Family Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, revealed that the number of male teenage smokers leaps from 6 per cent among 15-year olds to 32 per cent of 19-year olds.
There are no clear figures on the number of argileh smokers in the country. [source]
I am still unaccustomed to the heavy stench of smoke that fills the post-sunset air of Amman. At first I thought it was humidity, then I smelt the tobacco. Smoking is more than just another chemical addiction; it’s become embedded in our culture so to speak. Even parents encourage their kids to smoke in Jordan. People really need to lay off this crap. Our society is physically and mentally intoxicated as it is.
But then again, it’s 2007.
What good are the futile warnings and precautionary tales?
Some times I find myself asking that if at this point smokers aren’t aware of the imminent health hazards of smoking, maybe they’re just too dumb to live.
Maybe they’re not worth saving.
Maybe they’ve never seen someone die of lung cancer.
“Some times I find myself asking that if at this point smokers aren’t aware of the imminent health hazards of smoking, maybe they’re just too dumb to live.
Maybe they’re not worth saving.”
I second you, and will add in this regard: “Sha3eb jahil”!… sa7ee7, and add to it my dad’s reply,”Allah la yrudo”!
Ok, maybe that was too harsh on smokers.. I hope they start thinking about the health consequences of consuming that poison…”Allah yehdeehum!”
Smoking is an addiction, it is a disease by itself. Smokers should be looked at as patients who need to be helped to overcome their illness.
Argileh has more to it though. It symbolizes the laziness of the society. Unlike cigarettes, which you can smoke on the go and get back to work, you have to sit down for hours to smoke argileh, doing nothing productive whatsoever.
The other thing is the “Ramadan tents”. Why on earth do the tents need to be attached to Ramadan? I feel sorry for the Holy Month, it is innocent of so many things it has been implicated in; the lack of productivity, the road madness, the mounting prices, the TV insanity, the “tents”, and last but not least, the argileh.
okay guys, when it comes to smoking issue, I stand clear. I am not a smoker. and will never be. BUT (in all uppercase letters), I respect choice. I respect the power of choice, that arabs are not yet accustomed to. so if somebody smokes, so whats the big freakn deal? its their choice. they know the hazards and they CHOSE to risk their lives.
and btw, I don’t believe the second-hand-smokers thing. even in the united states its still heavily debated. so its not even a proven fact.
but i also respect the choice of others not to smoke. so why not ban smoking in public places in Amman at least? if you want to smoke its fine, just go outside or something.
u know, in New York and California, smoking is not even allowed in bars and clubs. period. in Malaysia -so I heard- smoking is not even allowed outdoors! only certain areas ‘outdoors’ are marked by yellow lines that make a shape of a square that u can actually smoke in. how modern is that? or extreme?
on another different note but kind-of-related to smoking: I believe the stench of smoke in Jordan, or so called smog, is caused by our polluted ‘benzeen’ with all the lead in it and damaged car exhaust systems. the effects of that on Jordanians is far more dangerous than smoking argeeleh!!!!!!!! dont u think?
“…so why not ban smoking in public places in Amman at least?”
At the moment, I believe this happens on a case by case basis. Individual venues have the right to declare their area a non-smoking zone. No one bothers to read the signs or obey the rules, however. Case in point, go to Queen Alia International Airport and note how many people are smoking in public…directly under a “No Smoking” sign.
“… go to Queen Alia International Airport and note how many people are smoking in public…directly under a “No Smoking†sign”
what a shame. i wasn’t aware that private venues have the ‘right’ to declare their area a non-smoking zone or not. this is ridiculous. it should be the law.
Interesting post, smoking is one of the ‘hip’ social activities of the younger crowd that’s socially acceptable, or at least it’s not not stigmatized thus people end up indulging in it.
FYI, lung cancer, although not the most frequent of cancers (prostate and breast are the more common ones), it is the most dangerous of cancers (meaning most fatal), and smoking is by far the biggest health risk that contributes to getting it. Out of curiosity I once googled the dangers of hookah and other than the reasons stated in the post it’s also more dangerous because of the amount of smoke and nicotine one inhales, you get 100-200 more times the volume of smoke from an argileh than you do from a cigarette, that makes sense if you think about it!
Hi, firt id like to thank you for the post, I always wanted to post about it.
I agree with you about how bad smoking is, and to put it polite i would say the irrational decision to try smoking, but after all i’m with personal choices, but it doesn’t contradict with my personal choice, they can smoke out, not killing themselves and others at same time 🙂
thats why I don’t mind having smoker friends, and accepting them as they are (in the past i didn’t), but same time,i don’t think i will bear the idea of kissing (a smoker wife), i hate that smell.
one last thing, thanks for writing about this, we won’t give up hope that someone might read your post and quit smoking for some reason or another, and thats how good people try to change community for better,
God bless you,
“Some times I find myself asking that if at this point smokers aren’t aware of the imminent health hazards of smoking, maybe they’re just too dumb to live.
Maybe they’re not worth saving.
Maybe they’ve never seen someone die of lung cancer.”
No seriously who the hell do you think you are (along with the chorus).
Please do take your own advice and shut up, and stop preaching to smokers to quit if you are going to insult them first and preach second.
The fact of the matter there is a little something called personal choice, ie. i do whatever i want to as long as its not hurting anybody else. maybe your not familiar which such a thing, for robots are dime a dozen these days. so if i smoke and i know what i am getting into please spare me the insulting pity talk and move on.
now am not against banning smoking in public(governmental and municipality buildings) and leaving it to the private venue owner to decide how he likes to run his business that is a given.
I second bambam’s opinion! It is a personal choice..
Has anyone heard of the herbal sheeshas that they invented?? apparently their m3asel only contains herbs and no nicottine! Because of the smoking ban in London, more cafes and restuarants are serving these instead.. Never tried them, has anyone??
Oh and i have to add this one:
not only smoking cigarettes is banned in bars and clubs (in almost all the united states) but also banned in HOOKAH LOUNGES (i.e. argeeleh cafes).
yup.
According to the indoors-clean-air act adopted by many states, argeeleh (or as its known as hookah in the states) is not considered a cigarette. So I go to a hookah lounge by my house, smoke argeeleh indoors till i drop, but i cant light up one cigarette!!
arabs would love that law 😀
bambam: I never said it wasn’t personal choice. People are free to commit suicide for all I care.
But if personal choice exists for smokers, then what about the personal choice of non-smokers?
Every where we go in Jordan someone is smoking and blowing smoke in a non-smokers face. If you tell them to stop they’ll say “7or” (i’m free)
Where’s my personal choice there?
Where’s my personal choice to sit anywhere other than the comfort of my home, and enjoy a smoke-free environment? Isn’t this my country as well?
Where’s my personal choice there?
This is to say nothing that a lot of our taxes go towards treating fellow citizens (the overwhelming majority) who are smokers.
Where’s my personal choice there?
In other words, freedoms of one person stop where the freedoms of another begin.
And yeah, sure, a person has the choice to start smoking and I grant them that choice completely, just as I grant the kid who thought it was a neat idea to try and juggle knives one day…But it doesn’t make it any less of a stupid choice, and I have the right to call people out on it.
The personal choice, as a non smoker, who has no proof that second hand smoke has any health risk beyond that of BO in a mainly smoker environment is to either go sit in the non smoking section if they have one, or voice ur concern that you don’t like the smell of fags. in public places we all have no choice of being there other than to finish up our duties smoking should be banned (public govermental run institutes)
there are quite a few places that are not so choked up with smoke, and you can go there. you choose to go to the smoke filled places and you still find the audacity to complain about it, thats playing with fire and then complaining that you are getting burned while still playing with fire!
we as smoker maintain the right of whether to put it out or not, the choice that you have is whether you would like to be at a place that is centered around people smoking ( a coffee shop per ur example)
complaining about people smoking in such a place is borderline lunacy. (thats an intentional repeat :D)
This is not the same argument for public places, and certainly its not the same argument as other parts of the world since the majority of the population in jordan are smokers so you need to fight the up hill battle from the minority in this case (ohhh how i love democracy )
last i check we don’t have a national or governmental health coverage ? so which taxes are you talking about, even king Hussein cancer center doesn’t have coverages like that ? and am sure the health spending from the taxes is negligible and would be the last of your worries (sorry that point of argument doesn’t hold its water in this part of the world so try again) on the other hand what direct benefit NAS do you get out of paying taxes ! it is non my friend, taxes are implemented (in theory atleast) for the greater good, so how about being a bit altruistic.
“and I grant them that choice completely”
I love how delusional you can get by allowing yourself to grant others the ability to choose. how blessed we are to have you bestowing us with that ability to choose things in our life and how utterly unfortunate for us if you ever decide to take it back, how you achieved dominion over choice is something really admirable.
what the deuce ?
bambam: “who has no proof that second hand smoke has any health risk beyond that of BO in a mainly smoker environment is to either go sit in the non smoking section”
Actually second hand smoke is a health risk: http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35422
And to marginalize non-smokers into “non-smoking areas” is a bit absurd, which is why the world has generally accepted the idea of having designated smoking areas for those who choose to smoke.
“you choose to go to the smoke filled places and you still find the audacity to complain about it”
I can hardly name any place in Jordan that is strictly NON-smoking, and I bet you can’t either, so of COURSE I’m complaining about it.
“so you need to fight the up hill battle from the minority in this case (ohhh how i love democracy )”
democracy also protects the rights of the minority. and oh how i love a good uphill battle.
“last i check we don’t have a national or governmental health coverage ? ”
Where does the money that fund health coverage come from? Look at nearly a third of the country that is on public health care based on civil servant coverage, at institutions such as the medical city. Who funds that city, that coverage, those institutions?
“taxes are implemented (in theory atleast) for the greater good, so how about being a bit altruistic.”
altruistic…the tabacco has gone to your brain.
How about we take the money that normally goes towards the thousands of people who get sick from smoking every year and build the best 5 schools in the country? How about we use that money to massively overhaul the public health sector to begin with? In other words, how about the choice for us to have our taxes spent on things that matter?
“I love how delusional you can get by allowing yourself to grant others the ability to choose. how blessed we are to have you bestowing us with that ability to choose things in our life and how utterly unfortunate for us if you ever decide to take it back, how you achieved dominion over choice is something really admirable. what the deuce ?”
you know if someone is going to be insultingly sarcastic, one would think they’d back that up with an actual argument.
alas.
with regards to arguments i was just following your lead for the simplistic argument of “i hate smoke, smokers are stupid and should die” but sure enough i’ll try to elevate it a bit.
the notion of second hand smoking is harmful is based on 3 studies (and dont just through the first link for second hand smoke in my face a proof that doesn’t even quote any study)
EPA ’93, WHO, and helena. the first is a meta analysis with fudged numbers and less than orthodox methodologies, the second didn’t find any tangible statistical evidence for or agains SHS (other than children of smokers have a 22% less chance of contracting lung cancer than those of non smokers but i doubt that would help ur argument)
and the last one was fraudulent…
so hence the idea that second hand smoking is harmful based on statistical research is a hoax, at best its an N/A at this point .
again you fail to realize that in the rest of the world (which i think u presume its NAmerica for some rzn since europe are pretty big about smoking) smokers are the minority now rather than the majority so hence they get to be shoved out of the coffee shop 🙂 that is obviously not the case in jordan, moving on …
ok they might not be smoke free but they are pretty darn close to that if anything, 282 at the meridian, the old view cafe in jabal 3amman to name a couple …
and just for the historical record democracy pretends to protect the rights of minorities
the govermental spending on healthcare based on the WHO report is about 5% of the GDP, and yeah thats not much really to cover whatever u suggested up there (might build u 1 school tho), so don’t cry foul on that when more than 42% of the budget goes to pay up salaries …. and in case you missed the meaning of altruistic it means that even fools should be taken care of by the society otherwise it will quickly transform into and elitist society but i guess that would be more to your liking wouldn’t it
do i need to repeat my argument twice for it to get through to u ?
Naseem,
As for taxes being paid to “cure” smoking “patients” I think that the taxes that are imposed on ciggarettes-and paid by smokers- cover that issue and give extra for the government to cover other “holes” if you know what I mean-did you ask yourself how much money they make from taxes on cigarrettes and alcohol? So basically smokers have the higher hand because they choose to pay extra tax to help in an indirect to minimize the effects of the “inconvenince” that they caused for the non-smokers. Zay ma begoolo jmeeletko 3la 7alko 😀
We are not even close to being financialy independent(remember how much aid our glorious government scoops each year) So I guess that fighting smokers shouldn’t be our priority to solve our financial ponanza.
I am for banning smoking in public spaces.
I am not a regular smoker, I am an occasional one, for example since ramadan started I didn’t smoke, simply because I don’t have the chance to do so.
Peace.
I agree Nas, we should line smokers in one line and smoke the hell out of them. if they wanna kill themselves, fine! jump off their balkonies, but to disgust us with the awful smell and the scene of their yello teeth and above all putting our health in risk, thats just absurdly rediculas. I will have much more respect to our country when smoking is prohibited in public for real, and much more respect when its completely banned even.
you know what?
you know the government’s never ending complain about 3ajiz in mowazanih? and they are going to raise the gas prices once more?
i think that its only fair to double- tripple the prices of cegarretes and liquir, then the users of these two items will get to pay for our gas just like we pay for their health care.
how about that?
make baket il sagayir for 5 JDs, and whisky for 50, and i will call it fair 😀
what do you think?
🙂
My favorite is the hospital lounge, where patients’ relatives wait until the procedures or operations or whatevers are finished. They just want to have a juice or a drink of coffee, but are forced instead to breathe the stench from the crowds of people gathered in the tiny area. Amman Surgical Hospital has a “smoking lounge” which is also the only cafeteria. I tried to take my coffee outside, but it was ‘prohibited.’ Queen Alia Hospital–same thing. Has anyone ever actually been to a hospital here where no smoking rules are enforced?
Umm Farouq, it’s the same at Khalidi Hospital.
You can smoke in the airport in Jordan. You can smoke inside most public hospitals. Quite a few doctors in these hospitals smoke inside the hospital facilities.
Smoking in pubic places is prohibited by law, but clearly the law is not enforced.
The government should raise the price of cigarettes and spend that money on health care. IT’s crystal clear, smokers are at risk of having more health-related illnesses, and when they get these illnesses they are at a higher risk of getting complications. They, and the community, should pay the price of their bad habit.
“with regards to arguments i was just following your lead for the simplistic argument”
just because you’ve whittled my argument down to that doesn’t mean it was simple to begin with. the point i was making in the post is that perhaps there is no need for preaching and anti-smoking campaigning at this point in human history when the health hazards of smoking are well known, which indicates to me bad or deficient judgement on the part of anyone who decides to pick up smoking or refuses to quit. in Jordan we have one better…they insist on it.
“and just for the historical record democracy pretends to protect the rights of minorities”
ah but you were the one preaching the values of democracy. and political ideology aside…
smoking bothers non-smokers. it should bother smokers as well.
i’ve had two uncles who died of lung cancer due to smoking, so I have a bit of experience when it comes to this sort of thing. their kids, my cousins, generally have asmtha, a condition that was worsened while their respective fathers were alive and made breathing a bit more difficult. it doesnt really take 10 billion dollar study over 50 years to discover what we already know to be true. in the same way, it needn’t have taken the US the large amounts of money and time they spent on proving the health risks of smoking only to finally prove that cigarette companies had been lying for over half a century, already internally acknowledging the addictive properties of smoking.
i can understand personal choice when it comes to a wide array of choices. I can understand personal choice when it comes to people who choose to practice religion and those that don’t. Or those who want to wear whatever they want to wear. But when it comes to smoking, there is no value added here. It is people sucking on poison and blowing it in the faces of others where there are widely acknowledged health hazards regardless of you believe.
and in case you missed it earlier…my argument in this post was that I am personally bothered with all the smoke. you offered me two alternatives to places that ‘i’m allowed to go to’ as a non-smoker, which is pretty absurd if you ask me.
But that wasn’t my argument. My argument was that i feel there is no need to preach or warn people any more at this point. If you cant get on board with second hand smoking being a health hazard then I’m hoping you have the mental capacity to comprehend the scientifically proven health hazards of smoking itself.
And if people who choose to smoke are aware of all that and still choose to smoke, then what good is me bitching about them quitting going to do.
Lastly, I like engaging in a…ehem…healthy debate (no pun intended), but if you would much rather prefer we hurl insults at each other than I’m cool with that too. My personal preference is the healthy debate.
It saves from me having to end this comment with a cheasey comeback like “I hope that got through your thick skull”. 😉
Since we are at it:
I also suggest that we prohibit mansaf since it causes many serious effects, and people who don’t eat mansaf shouldn’t pay their tax money to save the lives of mansaf eating people..
Come on, not everything is measured by money, and even if we try to measure it, the contributions of smokers cover their “health” costs and give you “non-smokers” some extra services. And thats why they can’t ban smoking, it is the milking cow for the treasury.
Peace.
Our blogosphere doctor, Hareega, has spoken 😀
mohanned: i was giving an example of the wholes in this boat called the smoking society. suffice to say, my concern is more with the social costs than the economic ones.
If you are intrested signe this petition for ban on smoking in public places Jordanians for a Ban on Smoking in Public Places
“the point i was making in the post is that perhaps there is no need for preaching and anti-smoking campaigning”
and you were doing just that 🙂
“indicates to me bad or deficient judgement on the part of anyone who decides to pick up smoking or refuses to quit
there we go with the insults again, which you started with the way you ended the post.
That aside, having personal experience in it doesn’t add much credibility to the argument since the majority of us have some personal experience with such a case. now the thing is if you notice when hareega commented he focused on 2 things
public places ban — which am a 110% for
personal health woes that effect the smoker
he didn’t even touch on second hand smoking, he didn’t touch on smoking in coffee shops he just mentioned the things that matter the most, what gets me heated is when ppl like you get overzealous to the extent that they feel that they know whats best for the people and get us to the extent new york got to, where i wont be even allowed to smoke in my own apartment or at my favorite coffee shop where the owner doesn’t mind ppl smoking in doors.
btw those two places i mentioned are just what came to mind, there are more if you look for them but i guess it takes a bit more effort …
see the funny thing is that i did give you what i was objecting about referring to statistics and studies to elevate this to a healthy debate level, but instead you choose to totally disregard it all and conclude with a cheesy paragraph so don’t blame me if i see some irony in that.
and just for cheesiness sake:
“not everything you can’t comprehend is false, it just means you are just not ready for it yet” 😛
cheers mate & enjoy !
See Nas,
there really is not point debating with somoene about wether smoking is good or bad, i promise that everyone knows its bad, and wrong, and everry smoker wishes they could stop it too. just because they cant, they wanna go on and on with this argument, trying to prove the unprovable: that its not bad, or shouldnt be banned, or that its sane to smoke.
so why bother, really?
🙂
khalid first of all i made it pretty clear that we are not arguing about good or bad here, sorry but i tend to not see things in 2 shades only. smoking is bad for me, i do acknowledge that. Also I already mentioned that in place were we don’t have much choice to be at it should a given. Especially in places like airports, hospitals, and malls.
That is not what we are talking, just to lay it out we are talking about:
1 = whether second hand smoking is really as harmful to you as you are taught to believe, and if so what is the evidence to back that up ?
2 – is it fine for smokers to be described the way NAS described them!
“maybe they’re just too dumb to live.”
so please keep up, we are counting on you (i wonder if this will be closed soon )
just for the record, at least personally, i don’t have a problem quiting but the fact of the mater is i don’t want to quit for several reason of my own. we are not lacking in character.
I certainly don’t think any should be banned the idea that if something is available then people will not be able to control themselves is a silly idea to me.who ever is not able to be moderate about they way he carries himself through life will wither away and it would be their path that they choose for themselves.
Who puts you on pushing others into your own path if they don’t want to follow ?
lol late so my bad if it reads horribly
Bam-Bam, if smoking is a personal choice then so is Marijuana, or Heroine. I have yet to see 1 government intervene and categorise smoking as a banned substance. In fact if Marijuana and Cocaine were socially acceptable they would be legal as well. This is all about economics.
Regarding smokers respecting none-smokers rights not to be subjected to 2nd hand smoke, they just don’t.
I take a taxi every day, 80% of the drivers smoke, indeed many smoke with a no-smoking sign present (probably placed by the car owner). You can imagine the driver’s reaction when you ask him to stop.
I know parents who smoke in front of their infants, and even one who continued smoking after his infant developed a breathing disorder, speant a week in the hospital, and very nearly died from 2nd hand smoke.
Regarding Nas preaching, please preach away. Anyone willing to poison themselves in the name of social acceptance and peer pressure clearly requires some of that.
Regarding Mohammad specifying smokers as patients, this may be true subsequent to the addiction, but initially they only have themselves to blame. Particularily on trying that first cigarette, if you have the slightest appreciation of your self-worth, you would immediately drop it and regret being stupid enough to listen to your friends and try it in the first place.
” then so is Marijuana, or Heroine.”
And mansaf, burgers, falafel, etc…
So why don’t we ban them all, or lets tax the sh@@ out those products because they hurt people, and maybe if we see “fat” people in the street we jail them because they have higher chance of being sick. And it was also proven that when you see people eat you become more vulnrable to eacting more..
It is all about choice, they choose to smoke, they choose to pay extra tax to smoke, so no one has any right to decide what is better for people. And while we are at it, I think that smoke coming out of your cars is more harmful than cigarrettes, so I also suggest that we tax all cars not using ethanol as their fuel.
Mohanned, you’re comparing a high-calorie meal to a poison ?
Same end, so whats the difference? Equifinality, or as they say all routes lead to rome and rome here being sickness or death!
Mohanned, I understand your point in that continuing to eat a high-calorie diet can greatly decrease your life span, but here’s the difference. A fasting smoker, can tell you, no one will die because they didn’t smoke a cigarette.
Deciding whether something should be a controlled substance should be all about the level of harm done, not about the social acceptance. I think smoking a cigarette is as harmful if not worse than smoking Marijuana. The fact that its socially acceptable make it more of a health risk.
A public smoking ban is meant to protect the general public from depending on the sensitivity and good manners of smokers to act sensibly. They’re addicts, how can we expect them to have these things ?
Bambam: Saying second hand smoke is not bad for non smokers is like saying there is no global warming.
The big oil companies who benefit from poisoning the environment are like the cigarette companies who say second hand smoke does not cause problems for non smokers.
They pay people who don’t work for them to plant these ridiculous ideas that defy logic in peoples heads
Why would a lot of governments post adds everywhere saying second hand smoke is bad? What would they gain by doing that other than lessening the health problems for the people? In Canada you can’t light up in any enclosed area that is public including bars ,restaurants ,shops ANYWHWERE you have to be 9 meters away from a building to smoke . And to be honest this is heaven for me and for my daughter, I don’t have to worry about taking her anywhere and I can breath deep and be happy. I do think it in-conveniences smokers because they have to step outside to smoke but it greatly benefits everybody else, like the waiters and the restaurant owners who don’t want to be poisoned and still want to earn a living.
You should practice freedom responsibly.
A question, if you have an infant would you smoke around them? Don’t you even have a 1% doubt that second hand smoke is bad?
It seems that the cigarette smoke clouded your judgment 😛 .
Mohannad: they actually banned saturated fat from resturants in the USA, that’s going overboard if you ask me but i guess it’s not that bad.
7aki: not saturated, transfat, and McDonalds is getting creative 😀
Hani: You can’t say that all smokers are addicts, and I will give you myself as an example, I smoke, but I am not an addict, I can quit anytime and go back to smoke anytime, as a matter of fact I haven’t smoked since ramadan began.
Next point: I am with banning smoking in public, I don’t smoke at my appartment, not because of me, because of my wife and kid.
The point is, you can’t make choices for people, people are supposed to make their own choices. And my main argument is that economically smokers are benifiting the society more than they harm it by the extra taxes that they are forced to pay. Cars should be taxed more for the pollution that they cause.
It is a matter of relativity, you can’t pick and choose, whats bad is bad.
Not so Final thought: “be all about the level of harm done, not about the social acceptance.”
If so, then MANY things should be banned.
Ethics create laws, and laws are created by humans, humans are not GOD to decide what is right or wrong. There are many things that harm more than marijuana and heroine but they are not banned. Did you ask yourself how many lives we loose to road accidents and how much does it cost? Did we ask ourselves the toll eating mansaf has on our society? I am not being sarcastic, smoking is good for the society overall, because it is the cow that makes money for the government.
And regarding weed and heroince, do you actually believe that they can’t contorl it? It is a big business my friend. For example heroince killed more americans than osama bin laden, but who are they after now?
Peace out.
Mohanned, I appologise for my addict comment, I did get a little carried away 🙂
No need for apology, Some people are addicted to it, but you can’t generalize.
🙂
I wrote a letter to the editor of the Jordan Times on the first day of Ramadan about the enjoyable smoke free days in Ramadan. They didn’t print it. I was asking also to the readership why doesn’t Jordan step up and be smoke free like Dubai and Europe and America are doing??? Guess that was a touchy subject. Ha.
A great approach to solving the problem … now how about we all tackle poverty by saying something along the lines of: “he’s poor and starving so we might as well kill him and get it over with“?
and what if we tackle narcotics by saying something along the lines of: “he’s a drug addict, a worthless junkie, let him drug himself to death!“.
or how about we tackle the peace process in the Middle East by saying something along the lines of: “Iraq and Palestine are too controversial and problematic, let’s blow ’em up and get it over with“.
are they all “too dumb to live“?
the whole “he’s smoking and killing himself so the hell with him” is all backward crap, Nas.
Hani…
GRr.. even though mohanned (thanks btw) tried it rationally but it seems its hopeless with you but i’ll leave you with some points:
kids develop breathing problems due to their sensitivity to a lot of things and i think its only sensible to just protect them from all of those as much as possible (and unlike the rest i was such a kid so don’t give me those patronizing tales)
as for the cab drivers, if you are truelly bothered and can’t live with it then get out of the cab for god’s sake !
lastly, surprisingly i do agree with you on one thing
“I think smoking a cigarette is as harmful if not worse than smoking Marijuana.”
yup you are right cigarettes are a lot more harmful than marijuana, and so is alcohol which is more harmful than both of them. So there goes your theory of how to ban stuff
7aki 7aki not at all cigarette never clouds my judgment, and no unlike denying global warming which has scientific bases to it proofing second hand smoking is harmful has a very shaky ground to walk on, and no am not quoting some anon tobacco company mole. I am quoting the WHO, which i believe is a very credible source.
the way i see it, is that i don’t others to protect me, or those who don’t mind being around smoking. in the case of jordan it is even compounded when you see that the majority is that of smokers so it is highly impractical never mind illogical to drag the majority of the patrons outside the restaurant because of a few that feel that it smells bad.
as for my 1% it concerns kids, so i don’t smoke around kids no matter what and am a 100% with baning it in certain places but come on 7aki now who is at blame here a person who is smoking at a coffee shop or the one who is bringing his kids to it ? remember we are talking about specific venues that cater to adults, where the atmosphere is that of a smoking atmosphere(coffee shop, bar) & where the owner allows people to smoke in his establishment. if you generalize its not my fault since i can’t make it clearer than that.
there is no such thing as responsible freedom, its either freedom or restriction… so as long as there is an alternative choice for you to choose from then you have no right to impede on mine 😀 so thats why i am always against the government acting as a nanny to it populli, and i equally despise those overzealous constituents who try to impede on what i see as my right !
“yup you are right cigarettes are a lot more harmful than marijuana, and so is alcohol which is more harmful than both of them. So there goes your theory of how to ban stuff”
Bambam, not really, I’d be happy if alcohol was banned as well 🙂
Bambam, regarding rationality, you’re arguing that second hand smoke isn’t harmful. Who’s being irrational there ?
pointless to reiterate my argument again ….
From all my visits to Jordon, it’s best to conclude that smoking IS a problem, as people smoke almost everywhere.
What’s worse was that even children were smoking down in the streets…
And the people’s addiction to argileh, adults and teenagers alike, is impossible to control.
They smoke in cafe’s, restaurants, their homes and even bathrooms! It’s just sick, entering a bathroom that smells like smoke.
The government should act, using propaganda’s that negatively advertise smoking, which just might help,
(I don’t think it would though)
People should learn to think for themselves, i mean, are they that dumb or what?
Smoking’s an addiction, that, unless by self-determination, cannot be overcome.
My mother used to be a smoker, but my brother and I kept nagging over her head until she finally decided she should stop, and she did…
I think that’s an example many smokers should follow.
Noor, that’s an excellent point. If we can’t enforce a public space ban on smoking, at the very least we should stop kids from buying it.
unlike adults who start smoking, the kids aren’t responsible for their actions.
When I was in Canada, I remember once being approached by some teenagers asking me to buy them a pack. This is because any merchant knows how seriously the law will deal with them if they don’t ask for ID when someone seemingly underage tries to buy a smoke.
bambam,
I may be one of the first to comment on this smoke issue (see above) and actually talk about how some of us are not yet accustomed to the freedom of choice. whether from a smoker or non-smoker point of view.
u said something very nice and quite powerful, and I quote: “there is no such thing as responsible freedom, its either freedom or restriction… so as long as there is an alternative choice for you to choose from then you have no right to impede on mine”. I couldn’t say it any better.
I very much like your rebellious nature. we both share this personality trait!
I find this discussion ridiculous at best. Second hand smoking is not a danger to the general public? If passengers don’t like the smoke, they should leave the taxi?
Go to wikipedia to find a summary of all the research on second hand smoking. Find out who “disputes” this research — big surprise — it is the tobacco companies.
Do you really need a study to tell you that choking and feeling sick after being exposed to second hand smoke is from the smoke itself — and that it is a danger to your long-term health?
When I get in the taxi, it is up to the driver to stop smoking — he is not supposed to be smoking in the first place.
When I go to the hospital, I would like reasonable assurance that the doctors and the patients and the people in the waiting room will not be smoking while I or the relative I have come to see is lying in bed ill. That is just plain rude, selfish, and ignorant.
Don’t even get me started about people smoking around their pregnant wives and children.
Remember…Denial ain’t a river in Egypt.
“”There is no such thing as responsible freedom, its either freedom or restriction””
In the real world, yes there is. Responsible freedom means you are free as long as you don’t hinder other people’s freedom. As A expressed, second hand smoke does that. I won’t even bother argung on whether it is harmful because its patently obvious. i don’t need a study to tell me this. Its enough to get in a cab with windows closed in mid winter, and start coughing phlegm 30 seconds later because the driver decided to poison himself.
Yes it may be unreasonable to ban tobbacco all together, but banning it in public spaces, particularily closed spaces, public transportation, restaurants etc… is very reasonable.
Unfortunately, I am a smoker. I’ve actually smoked my first when I was 12, and I seriously think that anyone who sells cigarettes to under-age kids should be fined or thrown behind bars. I’ve come to realize that the earlier you start, the more difficult it becomes to quit.
Honestly, I’m in favor of banning smoking in public places. There are certain places with Argileh in Amman that I do not go to, because I cannot stand the smoke, and I’ve stopped going to some places because I could hardly see my hand because of the smoke. I think restaurants should not allow smoking; and if people want to smoke, they can go outside. If bars want to keep their open smoking policies, then at least force them to install strong heavy-duty ventilation system. Again, I am a smoker, and I feel this way. So yes, I do understand where the non-smokers are coming from.
I do understand that people are free to do whatever they want. But c’mon guys, you cannot claim that smoking is not harmful to you, your friends and family. Seriously, had my parents and friends did never smoked, I very much doubt that I would’ve ever tried.
I’ve been wanting to write about smoking for past week or so. Glad you beat me to it, I couldn’t have said it this well. I absolutely HATE smoke, be it from cigarettes or argileh, the smoke really bothers me. People have no respect for “no smoking” zones. If you wanna be stubborn and kill yourself, can u at least spare me! I wanna live! People don’t understand that when they smoke they harm the poeple around them too!
Can someone tell me where to get the best argileh in Amman?