REPORT HAS HOOKAH BAR OWNERS STEAMING

Allegations of marijuana being sold and smoked at Vancouver hookah
bars have one operator in a huff.

The allegations come as Vancouver councillors are poised to make a
decision about how to enforce the city's indoor-smoking ban.

According to an official report on hookah bars and cigar lounges, "it
would appear that what may be happening is that customers are adding
their own tobacco or other herbs or leaves" to a tobacco-free herbal
mix sold to be smoked in water pipes.

The report recommends the city take no action to amend its smoking
bylaws, effectively striking down a provincial exemption that allows
hookah bars to serve herbal mix, as a way to protect patrons and
workers against the dangers of smoking, no matter what the substance consumed.

Abbas Bansaid, operator of Ahwaz Hookah House on West Georgia Street,
said because the report makes a sweeping claim of criminal activity,
getting a fair shake from council, when it meets to decide the indoor
smoking issue tomorrow is hard to imagine.

The report was prepared in part by regional director of health
protection, Domenic Losito.

"They haven't made the distinction between bars so of course I feel
discriminated against," said Bansaid. "If [Losito] is sure one of us
is doing this then he should - instead of putting on paper and
accusing everyone - have just gone to police and let the police handle it."

Losito confirmed the allegations were made against a different hookah
bar, not Bansaid's.

"At this point we've just treated them as allegations ... I think if
it was marijuana use we would probably want to involve city police," he said.