As in the hose from the hookah…..A new survey, published today in the journal Pediatrics, confirmed that as many as 23 percent of young people, aged 18-24, in North America have used a hookah, also known as a water pipe, shisha, narghile or hubble bubble, in the last year. The study goes on to say that use is on the rise.

One of the main things fueling the rise is the (WRONG) belief that this is a more healthy way to smoke. Now there is an oxymoron – healthy smoking.

A not too distant relative to this article is increased use of medical marijuana. Good stuff but it also sends a message that marijuana is OK. Yeah, so is Vicodin when used under the care of a Doctor. And yes, I know of the research saying legalization doesn’t increase illegal use etc etc. But here is what I really know.

These youth are coming to work for you..this is gonna cost you. How solid is your program on helping them quit? Do you even have this conversation anymore? I see alot of “tenured” employees on smoke break when we take a break from training. When they call off sick who is going to supervise the work?

I really don’t want to turn you into a parent here but I do want you to lead. Obamacare may offset the medical costs of someone getting sick but it doesn’t replace the worker.

I see 1 in 4 youth are finding a new way to smoke and I shake my head wondering why they do that. Then I see employers doing little to help their employees overcome a powerful, and deadly, addiction and I wonder why they do that.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 1:12 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.