John From UK Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Hi there, My names John, I'm 16 and come from the UK...ever since I went to Tunisia on holiday I have been interested in Hookahs and whilst over there I bought a little cheap thing for about 13 dinar, this was about 10 months ago now and when I was in Tunisia I spent alot of time lounge in the various Hookah bars around Tunis (the capital) trying the different flavours, chatting with other smokers, and drinking alot of Arab coffee too! However when I got back to the UK the hookah smoking failed abit and my little hookah didn't work that well and I had trouble establising a routine and all that, to be honest I think the hookah was rubbish, so I binned it... ...anyway I went on eBay last night and bought an 18in hookah, with coals and soex because i felt like getting a new one and getting into smoking it again, so from the point of view of the experienced people on the forum, whats the best way to go about - a) are more expensive coals worth it? b)how high should i fill my bowl up with water? And Im sorry if i've put this topic in the wrong place on the forum, i'm new :L Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vendetta_revived Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 From a somewhat experienced smoker's point of view, I think you shouldn't smoke before you're 18. I see from the corner of my eye a boot flying your way. Good day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pull Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 The male body stops growing when the epiphyseal bone plates are completely seals between the ages of 18 and 20 years old. During which, brain cells, tall bones, tough heart are all building up and getting in their final shape, so you can be stuck with them all the rest of your life (after 20). The legal smoking age is about waiting until your body takes its final shape before you can use it however you want after 18: business, sex, smoking, hard working... etc. Messing up with your body during the growing time, may reduce its capacity to enjoy life later. If I may put it in other words, hold on to smoking now, so you can have longer ability to smoke or do whatever later ;-) twing Tunisians are not liberals to allow smoking for anyone, no matter of age, it's probably because they have other things to worry about, health might not be a priority right now, as they are building a new goverment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cotsi95 Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 Bye john see you in two years! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 http://www.hookahforum.com/topic/43323-john-from-uk-this-thread-is-for-you/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 It is legal to smoke at the age of 16 in the UK although it is not legal to sell tobacco products until they are 18. If he is purchasing the shisha in Tunisia and smoking it in the UK I see nothing wrong. Pull its easy to judge a country such a Tunisia for their health concerns, but until we make some changes in the way we provide nutrition for our youth we shouldn't be claiming any kind of superiority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 [quote name='joytron' timestamp='1313364606' post='519853'] It is legal to smoke at the age of 16 in the UK although it is not legal to sell tobacco products until they are 18. If he is purchasing the shisha in Tunisia and smoking it in the UK I see nothing wrong. Pull its easy to judge a country such a Tunisia for their health concerns, but until we make some changes in the way we provide nutrition for our youth we shouldn't be claiming any kind of superiority. [/quote] Yes, and us suggesting what he should buy while under the age of 18 is not good, correct? Ya know, since he can't legally buy it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 He is smoking soex and smoking itself is legal at the age of 16 in the UK. He is only asking about better coals and how to smoke his shisha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 14, 2011 Share Posted August 14, 2011 K, let me talk to the other mods and Mush about this. I'm pretty sure though that when this has happened before with a UKer who was 16 or 17 the same thing was decided, that its based off of purchasing age as well, not just smoking age. I could be wrong though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 It's 18. We won't be seeing him for two years (if he decides to come back). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Gay, maybe you mods should acquaint yourselves with the rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 *sigh* Maybe Mush can explain it a bit better than I have, but I'll give it another shot... This is a hookah/tobacco forum. I understand mentions soex (this was a debate on Chat). But he only mentions the soex once, that he bought it with his 18 inch hookah off of eBay. Pretty sure when he was in Tunisia he wasn't smoking soex or any other form of herbal molasses. But whatever. No where did I read he was just smoking soex and never tobacco. Now, UK law states that you must be 16 to smoke, 18 to purchase it. Basically what this means is the cops will look away as long as you're 16, since you're so close to 18 anyway. But you still have to be 18 to buy. Now I don't know about in the UK, but I know for the shops I've been to here in the US, and the online sites I've visited, you have to be 18 years of age to purchase tobacco or even just a hookah. John from UK here is asking us what new hookah he should buy. From what I know, he legally cannot buy himself a hookah (that is if its the same as here, and I'm sure it is). He's gotta have his friend, older bro, or mom buy it for him. Therefore... John from UK will be back in two years when he is 18 and we can advise him of what hookah he should buy, since he'll legally be able to purchase one himself at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuie Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 ...joy.... [img]http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww163/psychedelicmonk/w1chskjpg.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 [quote name='Stuie' timestamp='1313531847' post='520094'] ...joy.... [img]http://i716.photobucket.com/albums/ww163/psychedelicmonk/w1chskjpg.gif[/img] [/quote] Care to elaborate? I kinda enjoy this debate... lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 Ugh, I hate to get into it on your birthday. The way I view it, is a mistake was made, and instead of just admitting you or mushrat was wrong you are sticking to your original decision. This is rule #2 [color="#515151"]You must be of legal smoking age in your home country to be a member of the Forum.[/color] [color="#515151"]He already bought a new pipe, coals, and herbal shisha. All he was asking was how he could best go about using them. Both underage age drinking and illegal downloading of music are brought up without consequence (you even brought up that a gas station will sell you beer) and yet we have shifting standards for this situation. [/color] [color="#515151"] [/color] [color="#515151"] [/color] [color="#515151"]My issue is not solely with this incident, but also because it represents some things I dislike about the forum [/color] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 16, 2011 Share Posted August 16, 2011 I value your opinion a lot, Jess. I understand your point of view. Honestly, I understand how there's "two sides to the coin" in this situation. But I think the side that I, Mush, and a couple others who were talking about it on Chat earlier is the playing it safe side, since UK law has made it such a weird situation that we have here. Last thing we want is John from UK talking about smoking tobacco and how he bought this or that, and then we have the people with certain agendas coming down on us for allowing it. I asked Mush to chime in on this. And don't worry about my birthday dude. I see this as a healthy debate. No hard feelings whatsoever. I like you and appreciate you speaking up instead of feeling a certain way about something and suppressing it. Either way, definitely a weird situation... I have no problem retracting a previous decision. It's actually happened a good few times. I just feel the decision is the correct one for this situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mushrat Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='joytron' timestamp='1313522970' post='520058'] Gay, maybe you mods should acquaint yourselves with the rules. [/quote] perhaps you would like to elaborate. Perhaps you should know that seeing as we have Gay members and I have gay friends you'd care to explain how that word fits into this conversation. The age to purchase tobacco is 18. Period. if the police don't enforce the law that's their business but thats how the law reads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='mushrat' timestamp='1313575417' post='520156'] [quote name='joytron' timestamp='1313522970' post='520058'] Gay, maybe you mods should acquaint yourselves with the rules. [/quote] perhaps you would like to elaborate. Perhaps you should know that seeing as we have Gay members and I have gay friends you'd care to explain how that word fits into this conversation. The age to purchase tobacco is 18. Period. if the police don't enforce the law that's their business but thats how the law reads. [/quote] To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else. Perhaps I will bite on your attempt to take this entirely off topic. I think if hearing the word in association with my frustration with what I think if a fairly arbitrary way of running things, offends you on behalf of other people you might need to take a look around. How many times have you seen the word pussy thrown around on this forum? Why is it acceptable for Scotsman to insult both undocumented workers and liberals but this case is somehow different? If that word really personally bothers you (or anyone else for that matter) and makes it impossible for you to have a discussion on the event that occurred please remove it. In fact if I thought we could actually have a remotely serious conversation than I probably would not have put gay in the sentence. Its frustrating, instead you act as if I am a child and there is no room for discussion on the mods actions. The rules dictate nothing about having to be of purchasing age but rather only that you are of legal smoking age. If its a question about legality in general then I think the rules should have suggested that. But bans should than be given out for discussions about underage drinking and pirated music. Anyways I think discussions on the way things are run should be encouraged and I think its unfortunate that rather the opposite occurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zildjian Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I think that discussion as to how things are run are absolutely encouraged... But the problem occurs when one does it in an abrasive, off putting, ignorant manner. If you came at it calm, eloquent, and not sounding like a giant tool, then maybe you would get the same back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joytron Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 [quote name='Zildjian' timestamp='1313606688' post='520199'] I think that discussion as to how things are run are absolutely encouraged... But the problem occurs when one does it in an abrasive, off putting, ignorant manner. If you came at it calm, eloquent, and not sounding like a giant tool, then maybe you would get the same back. [/quote] I do not see how that is the case. While I understand using a personal attack surely did not help anything, I feel my initial comment was appropriate and worthy of a response. Instead mods discussed the situation behind the curtain, came to their conclusion, and then Chris stated their point as if it was the end of it. I hardly think that dictates open communication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcane Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 (edited) I'm actually with Jess on this one, but more of a literal sense. The rules states, as was quoted "[color=#515151]You must be of [b]legal smoking age in your home country [/b]to be a member of the Forum."[/color] If the legal smoking age is 16 and member in question is 16, then why isn't he allowed membership? To put a more obvious spin on it, let's say John from UK was actually from Bangladesh. The minimum purchase and smoking age is 15. Would he be allowed membership? Or if we had an 8 year old from Indonesia (where no purchase or smoking age exists), would they be allowed membership? I guess, given that the rules state "smoking age in your home country", it allows people below 18 years of age to particpate. If the rule were amended to read "legal smoking age in the US", we could avoid any gray areas. But, as it stands right now...John from UK is within the laws of his home country. Edited August 17, 2011 by Arcane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chreees Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I think our rules should be clarified to say legal purchasing age then. I believe when Mush made the rule long ago, he meant for it to mean purchasing age as well. Because, well, most countries that's what it means. Legal smoking age is the age in which you can purchase and smoke tobacco products. At least that's how I see it is interpreted for most countries. The UK just decided to make theirs worded oddly. Jay, yes- if the legal smoking (purchasing age, they can go out and purchase it themselves) is 15, they can be here. We have a good few younger-than-18 people on here because their law says they can legally purchase tobacco products in their country. As for the Indonesia example, I suppose they could be allowed here if no smoking law exists there, under our current rules. Jess, please don't think my post was meant as "It's 18, now shut up, we are the mods." I didn't mean for it to come off that way. Looking back at the post, I can see how you understood it that way. I was merely letting you know what was up; what was decided behind the scenes. As always (IMO), we can discuss such things, as we are doing here and now. Again, I'm sorry if I came off as an asshole in that post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pull Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 If I may comment about the main debate. I know this info while I was in school. As much details you put in a law, you can't practically cover every situation you will have in the future. In cases where the parties [i][u]disagree[/u][/i] on what the law is (in our case, between banning a 16yo member [i]trying to decide what hookah to buy,[/i] however you want to interpret this, versus not banning him) for an idealized common law, court (in our case the mods) looks to past precedential decisions of relevant incidents. If a similar dispute has been resolved in the past, the the court (mods) are bound to follow the reasoning used in the prior decision (this principle is known as stare decisis, in our case the same decision was made few years ago to ban a similar UKer member). If, however, the mods find that the current dispute is fundamentally distinct from all previous cases (called a "matter of first impression"), they have the authority and duty to make law by creating precedent. Thereafter, the new decision becomes precedent, and will bind future courts. Someone would ask, why do you have doubt about an existing law (the forum law about legal age), well, personally I think the founders of this forum have the right to play it safe and avoid allowing some room for the authority to step in. It's like, allowing a 18 yo guy to enter a night club, legally, but he can't drink, once s/he attempts to drink, you can ask him/her to leave... It depends on how you want to run your business. PULL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now