Egyptian authorities have banned youngsters under 18 from frequenting coffee shops in Cairo in a bid to stop them from smoking water pipes, which are known as “narguiles,” according to reports.
Officials in the governor's office were quoted by news agencies as saying that “the police will strictly enforce the law adopted by the governor of Cairo, Abdel Rehim Shehata, as part of an anti-smoking campaign launched in May by First Lady Suzanne Mubarak.
The government has taken all necessary precautions to guarantee enforcement of the law by all coffee shops.
It has warned all coffee shops against violating the new regulation, or they will lose their licenses.
In recent years, cafes offering narguiles have multiplied, attracting adults and teenagers alike. Customers can enjoy tobacco flavored with apple and honey aromas, or mea’ssel.
More than seven million Egyptians are smokers, of whom 87 percent use cigarettes, 12 percent narguiles, and 1 percent cigars or pipes, according to 1999 statistics, the report added – Albawaba.com
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