Jump to full article: Terre Haute (IN) Tribune-Star, 2009-11-18
Author: Carrie Evans, Program Director for Tobacco Prevention and Cessation CHANCES . . . for Indiana Youth
Intro: Contrary to popular belief, hookah smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking. . . .
The concern of many experts is that hookah smoking is just a gateway to cigarette smoking much as cigarette smoking is a gateway to other drugs. . . .
A dream come true for Big Tobacco. And since the majority of hookah bars are popping up near college campuses, the tobacco industry indirectly scores the young users they have so tirelessly preyed upon for so many years.
The frontal lobe of the brain is not fully developed until the mid-20s. This part of the brain is responsible for judgment, impulse control, initiation and spontaneity. When one considers that some of the most frequent visitors of hookah bars don't yet have a fully formed frontal lobe, you have a recipe for poor choices and addiction.
A peer-reviewed study published in Pediatrics, the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, points to another concern with hookah use: the spread of infectious diseases
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