Hookah is a tobacco product that poses serious health risks and is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. Hookah is a water pipe that people use to smoke specially made tobacco. A typical hookah has a head, a metal body, a water bowl, and a flexible hose with a mouthpiece through which people inhale tobacco smoke. Tobacco is heated with charcoal, and the tobacco smoke passes through water to cool it before being inhaled.
Hookah is often smoked in social settings and in groups with a shared hose and mouthpiece. In California, hookah smoking can occur in hookah lounges and bars that are currently exempt from California indoor smoke-free laws, as well as on patios and other outdoor spaces. Despite common misconceptions, hookah is not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.
Hookah users can be exposed to 9 times more carbon monoxide and 1.7 times more nicotine than from a single cigarette. As with cigarette smoking, hookah smoking is linked to:
- Lung, bladder, stomach, esophageal, and oral cancers
- Heart disease
- Lung diseases and carbon monoxide poisoning, among other serious conditions
Hookay Smoking: Is it safer than cigarette smoking? Click here to learn more.
Source: TECC | Tobacco Education Clearinghouse of California Newsletter Update: March 10, 2026
