Iowa officials worry about 'hookah lounges'

AMES, Iowa (AP) -- A move is under way to regulate a fad that has reached Iowa -- smoking fruit-flavor tobacco at "hookah lounges."

The Chicha Shack in Ames near Iowa State University offers hookah smoking.

A hookah is a water pipe used to smoke flavored tobacco.

Mohamed Ali of Ankeny brought the longtime Middle Eastern tradition to Ames. He said the hookah is smoked by people of all ages in his home country of Lebanon, in places ranging from restaurants to swimming pools.

Ali, who opened the Chicha Shack on Oct. 1, said the place has since been packed with customers.

"You have a lot of students between 18 and 21 where they would like to hang out and they cannot get into the bars," said Ali, who offers 18 flavors of tobacco, including apple, rose, melon, strawberry, grape, orange, apricot and cherry.

But some state prosecutors and lawmakers said they fear the fad will lure smokers under the legal age of 18.

"There's a commitment by Iowa and other states to try to protect minors from getting addicted to tobacco," said Iowa Assistant Attorney General Donn Stanley.

Hookah lounges do not require retail cigarette permits from the city, so they are not subject to the same enforcement for underage smoking.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a Des Moines Democrat and ranking member of the House Public Safety Committee, said he would sponsor a bill that will require hookah lounges to get the same permits as those that sell cigarettes.

"In a sense, what we want to do is close a loophole," McCarthy said. "I want to make sure that these devices are appropriate to have in the state of Iowa."

William Nicholson, 25, an ISU junior from Cedar Rapids, said he has gone to the Chicha Shack three or four times and tried smoking the cherry- and caramel-flavored tobacco.

"I think it's a really unique experience," Nicholson said.

Officials said they are not suggesting Ali or anyone is operating illegally. Instead, they believe hookahs should be regulated due to concerns about youth smoking.

"We're trying to stay ahead of the onslaught of these things before they get too big," said Assistant Attorney General Brian Meyer. "We're not trying to ban it. We're just trying to regulate it."

But Ali, the owner of the Ames hookah lounge, said he already pays the same taxes as cigarette retailers - 22 percent. He also said he makes sure that no one younger than 18 smokes a hookah in his bar.

"It's a small store with five tables, four couches and a fireplace. I always check IDs at the entrance," he said.

Hookah users place a tiny piece of loose-flake tobacco in the clay bowl at the top of the water pipe and heat it with charcoal. They then suck on the hose. Air flows around the charcoal, heating it up and taking tobacco smoke down through the tube into the water of the base. The water filters, cools and smooths the smoke before reaching the user.