At what age may I smoke hookah?

The trend of smoking waterpipe has long since arrived with us. So it’s no wonder that you discover a hookah bar on almost every corner. In times like Corona, however, the trend is moving more and more towards building your tobacco head comfortably at home and enjoying your pipe on the sofa.

As many already know, entry into a hookah bar is only permitted from the age of 18.

This is regulated by the first paragraph of § 10 of the Youth Protection Act:

“Tobacco products and other nicotine-containing products and their containers may not be given to children or adolescents in restaurants, sales outlets or otherwise, nor may they be allowed to smoke or consume nicotine-containing products.”

But what about smoking pipe in general?

As a minor, can I enjoy my hookah at home or outside?

Rumor has it that smoking water pipes is permitted from the age of 16. One thing in advance – smoking hookah tobacco is only permitted from the age of 18 in Germany. In addition to hookah tobacco, there are many other alternatives such as steam stones or steam pastes that contain neither tobacco nor nicotine. This reinforces the rumor that it is possible to smoke hookah from the age of 16.

Smoking waterpipes is precisely recorded in the Youth Protection Act. What probably shocked many young people is the fact that smoking in any form is only allowed and legal from the age of 18.

§ 10 of the Youth Protection Act (JuSchG) states:

“[..] Tobacco products and other nicotine-containing products and their containers may not be offered to children and young people by mail order or given to children and young people by mail order. (4) [This applies] also to nicotine-free products, such as electronic cigarettes or electronic shishas, ​​in which liquid is evaporated by an electrical heating element and the resulting aerosols are inhaled with the mouth, as well as for their containers. “

Of course, steam stones or steam pastes are not heated electronically, but the aerosols mentioned above are created when they evaporate. This is why the law prohibits all hookah tobacco and hookah tobacco alternatives for minors.

The likely reason for this ban is damage to health. When smoking pipe, many harmful substances such as tar or carbon monoxide are inhaled, which can lead to cancer or other fatal diseases. With one pull on the pipe, you inhale as much smoke as with 10 cigarettes. Many also underestimate the potential for addiction and thus endanger their health.

A small consolation donates the legal view to purchasing a waterpipe and all accessories. You can legally buy a pipe under the age of 18, i.e. as a minor, and use it as a decoration until you reach the age of majority.

Regardless of whether they are traders, bar operators or even parents, anyone who allows a minor to access and consume tobacco products can expect high fines. Smoking hookah under the age of 18 is and remains forbidden. Here the protection of minors should be taken seriously.