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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Today I participated in a hearing held by my colleague Corey Johnson, Chair of the Health Committee at the City Council. The committee heard testimony on a series of bills, including three of my own, aimed at curbing the rapid proliferation of hookah in neighborhoods across the city. As I am acutely aware, this issue has impacted our Uptown neighborhoods a great deal, with hookah now sold at bodegas, restaurants, lounges and more, with little oversight or regulation. This has resulted in these harmful products finding their way into the hands of young teenagers, who often lack the understanding of the harmful effects that hookah smoke causes. As we heard today from the Department of Health, many cancerous materials are released into the body as hookah smoke is inhaled. This issue is compounded by the prolonged sessions that many engage in when smoking hookah, making 40 minutes of hookah smoking akin to smoking over 100 cigarettes. These figures are astounding and concern me every time I see hookah smoke fill the air of our restaurants when many families are looking for a fun night out, often with their children.

In 2002, the city passed the landmark Smoke Free Air Act, putting New York on the map as a global leader in public health that drove the conversation worldwide when it comes to the harmful effects of tobacco. Unfortunately, this bill left a loophole for hookah smoking that has resulted in the current dynamic we face today. Bills that I introduced recently would help to change this and move the conversation forward to a place where we are not bogged down by smoke on our streets, in our parks and our restaurants.

Intro 617 would prohibit the sale of hookah from all vendors that make less than 50% of their revenue from hookah. This would allow dedicated hookah bars to remain open and functioning unimpeded so that those interested can still use hookah; however, it would vastly limit the ability for casual dining establishments to sell hookah alongside brunch and dinner.

The second bill, Intro 1075, takes a different route in that it maintains the ability to sell hookah in restaurants but establishes a small smoking session for all those interested, and requires the establishment to post signs detailing the harmful effects off hookah.

The third bill, Intro 1076, is one that I find to be of the utmost importance, would raise the age at which people can purchase hookah from 18 to 21. The council did this for tobacco in 2013 and I was proud to be a leader in that effort. But today we hope to finish the process in extending this to hookah as well.

These bills are augmented by a bill by my colleague Council Member Gentile that would add hookah to the Smoke Free Air Act, limiting the ability for it to be used in indoor public places.

Today’s hearing was the start of a conversation that I hope to hear from many of you about in the coming weeks and months as the legislative process moves forward. I am fully aware that business owners in our community have concerns about these bills and I will be happy to hear their voices too so that we can work to find an appropriate solution for all. If you would like to weigh in on this discussion, feel free to contact my Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Affairs, Russell Murphy at rmurphy2@council.nyc.gov. We will hear back from the administration as well as stakeholders throughout this process and your voices will be valuable going forward.

Sincerely,

Ydanis Rodriguez
Council Member, District 10