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<br />1. In other cities, the operation of hookah parlors have led to complaints <br />of loud music, drinking in public and large crowds milling outside of the <br />site. <br /> <br />2. The Orange County Register reports (November 10, 2005) that in two <br />and one-half (2%) years the Anaheim Police Department has <br />responded to 413 incidents tied to hookah parlors. <br /> <br />3. This same news report further states that illegal weapons and <br />underage drinking were found by an Anaheim Police Department vice <br />operation directed at hookah parlors. <br /> <br />4. This news report further stated that some hookah parlors in Anaheim <br />had been the target of fire bombs and arson. <br /> <br />5. While there is a widespread belief that smoking from a hookah pipe is <br />safer than other types of tobacco smoking, the World Health <br />Organization ("WHO") reported in 2005 that "waterpipe smokers and <br />second-hand smokers [are] at risk for the same kinds of diseases as <br />are caused by cigarette smoking, including cancer, heart disease, <br />respiratory disease, and adverse effects during pregnancy." <br /> <br />6. The WHO investigatory panel also found that a "typical 1-hour long <br />waterpipe smoking session involves inhaling 100-200 times the volume <br />of smoke inhaled with a single cigarette," and that the smoke, even <br />after passing through water, "contains high levels of toxic compounds, <br />including high levels of carbon monoxide, metals and cancer-causing <br />chemicals." <br /> <br />7. The WHO investigatory panel also found that sharing a hookah's <br />mouthpiece poses a serious risk of transmission of communicable <br />diseases. <br /> <br />8. Finally, the WHO investigatory panel found that the common practice <br />of sweetening and flavoring hookah tobacco, giving it a sweet taste <br />and smell, may account for the increase of its use among young <br />people who otherwise avoid smoking. <br /> <br />9. While California Labor Code section 6404.5 generally bans indoor <br />smoking at restaurants and bars, it exempts smoking inside retail or <br />wholesale tobacco shops and private smokers' lounges. It is unclear <br />how substantial the sale of tobacco for offsite consumption must be to <br />qualify for this exemption. While the City is currently studying this <br />issue, the Public Health Institute's Technical Assistance Legal Center, <br />funded by the California Department of Health Services, recommends <br />that this exception should only be available to a business that derives <br /> <br />Ordinance No. NS - <br />Page 2 of 6 <br /> <br />50A-4 <br />