No need for the brouhaha

Many cafés serving hubble-bubble in Amman are upset with the Greater Amman Municipality’s decision not to renew their licences, or issue new ones, saying that such measures would hurt their business.

In other words, these cafés would like to continue offering tobacco even though it has been long established that tobacco causes cancer and respiratory track diseases, and contributes to heart ailments.

Still, GAM is legally obliged to abide by the instructions of the Ministry of Health issued in 2010. And herein lies the dilemma.

The ministry had decided that places licensed to serve hookahs are exempted from observing the law prohibiting smoking in public places.

GAM has decided otherwise and, risking to offend smokers, one would say it is a better decision.

The cafés’ grievance is that by not offering narghile anymore, they would lose clients.

But since when do some establishments’ business interests override health concerns?

Of course such establishments may lose customers if they stop serving hubble-bubble or allow smoking altogether, but cafés and restaurants across the globe faced similar challenges and were able, in due course, to adjust to new rules.

All it takes is a bit of imagination to reinvent themselves and for people to grow used to the non-smoking culture.

It is about time such café owners recognise that protecting health comes first, and not their pockets.

Jordan is already several decades late in enforcing the law banning smoking in public places. This gain should not be lost to some narrow interests.

It is either that the law is applied and observed across the board or that lawlessness prevails and everybody does what he/she wants, which is hardly the mark of a civilised nation.