MP demands to regulate smoking hookah

CAIRO - 12 December 2018: Member of the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee Khaled Hanafi stressed Wednesday, Dec. 12 the necessity to regulate smoking hookah(Shisha) in Egypt, especially after its spread in public places.

Hanafi added in the statement that the government should impose penalties to reduce this phenomenon as it damages the health and causes many diseases such as tuberculosis.

Also, parliamentarian Suzy Nashed demanded Monday, Dec. 10 during the Parliament's plenary session that smoking hookah should only be allowed when the person smoking and the place where they smoke meet specific criteria.

For his part, Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal said that it is difficult to stop people from smoking hookah because it is their personal freedom, pointing out that it has to be confined in a way that does not contradict with the freedom of individuals.

According to a report issued by the US medical site "MedicalXpress"in November 2018,smoking hookah leads to atherosclerosis and increased heartbeat.