Shisha ban: What will Singapore smokers do now?

Following the news that the government plans to ban shisha tobacco later this month, Singapore users of the Turkish water-pipe are naturally upset.

So what will these people do now?

Yahoo Singapore spoke to several shisha smokers to find out and get their reactions to the ban.

Rajid Ahamed, an 18-year-old who smokes shisha almost every day with his friends at Middle Eastern-themed cafes near Arab Street, said that he would smoke more cigarettes once the ban takes place and patronize shisha cafes outside of Singapore.

“My friends and I are already planning trips to Johor Bahru and visit the shisha places there. Within Singapore, I guess I’ll follow my dad to the cigar lounge at Grand Hyatt Hotel,” he added.

Media engineer Iqbal Zaidi expressed similar intentions. "As for me, I think I’ll head to Johor Bahru for shisha or fly to Dubai more often. Dubai is like a really big Arab Street, and flights there via Malaysia Airlines are pretty affordable,” he said.

Faishal Ibrahim, parliamentary secretary for the health ministry, said on Tuesday that new licences for shisha imports and sales would be banned from later this month.

Responding to queries from Yahoo Singapore, the ministry also said that people in Singapore would not be able to bring in shisha tobacco into the country from overseas for personal consumption once the ban comes into effect.

Several of the shisha smokers interviewed also expressed concern about losing favourite hangout places within the Kampong Glam precinct, where many shisha cafes are located.

Marlia Mohamed, 26, said, “I think it’s no secret that, besides Middle Eastern expats and tourists, a lot of Malays frequent those cafes in Kampong Glam to smoke shisha… The cafes will definitely not sustain themselves once the ban kicks in.”

Broadcast operations officer Shahrul Rivera noted, “I’m not a big shisha smoker, but I do know that these shisha sessions are normally for social gathering sake, not so much to smoke. It’s sad for the regulars who frequent shisha cafes to smoke and hang out. I’m not sure what they can do once the ban takes effect.”

Iqbal, who frequents shisha cafes at least once a week, said, “I don’t think the ban is a good move at all. It’s bad for the business in the area as well as for the Middle-Eastern tourists who visit Singapore. It’s nice to see them [Middle-Eastern tourists] in their element even when they’re far away from home… I’m going to miss the Arabic atmosphere in Arab Street. The ban has definitely put an end to an era.”