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Hookah bar owners fought hard against a ban on a cultural smoking tradition Wednesday but to no avail.

Council’s community services committee voted to treat it like any other tobacco product and asked city officials to prepare changes to Edmonton’s public places bylaw.

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When that report comes back, council will determine when the ban would take effect on smoking a hookah in indoor public places and other places where smoking tobacco is prohibited.

Shisha, the herb mix used in hookah water pipes, was originally used by elderly men in rural areas of some North African and Middle Eastern communities, said Palwasha Khan, a health intern with the Canadian Cancer Society. It only became widespread among youth and in cafes in the 1990s, when flavoured tobacco was introduced.

But even varieties that advertise as tobacco-free contain nicotine and other cancer-causing chemicals, said Khan, who gathered and studied the products. Now it’s one of the most common forms of tobacco used among youth, and children who see shisha being smoked are more likely to start themselves and to use cigarettes.