The head of Iran’s Anti-Smoking Society has announced that the use of hookah in all public places is banned by an order of the Ministry of Industry, Mining and Trade.
ISNA reports that the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, the police and the Ministry of Health will cooperate to collect all hookah from public places.
The Anti-Smoking Society was established six years ago and in addition to securing the ban, it promotes anti-smoking policy through education by providing funding for relevant research and public service announcements.
The society reports that the most challenging aspect of its efforts has been enforcement of the ban.
Last year, 4,000 physicians and health care providers wrote to the president to express concern about the unregulated use of hookahs and their connection to the rising number of cancer patients in the country.
Statistics indicate that smoking hookah is on the rise among women and youth in Iran.
