The Chamber of Deputies has voted to prohibit the use of hookahs or water pipes in bars, discotheques and other public places. The bill now passes to the Senate where it is also expected to pass after the bill received a favorable report from the Senate Interior & Police Committee. There was a single dissident vote from legislator Francisco Matos who said they should be available in tourist areas or at specialist smoking centers.
Deputy Maria Mercedes Fernandez argued that hookahs caused more damage than cigarettes as they harmed not only the lungs but caused pharingitis and the papiloma virus amongst other issues.
Deputy Aquilino Serrata Uceta, who drafted the bill, said it was a dangerous practice for young people and called for it to be banned because people were using hookahs for smoking illegal substances, not just tobacco.
www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2013/10/29/297597/Diputados-aprueban-proyecto-prohibe-uso-de-la-hookah