Smokers decry argileh price hike

AMMAN — After allowing to serve argileh (water pipe tobacco) in public places, many smokers complained about argileh price hikes in some restaurants, cafes and hotels.

On Tuesday, Sara Hussein, a Jordanian citizen who usually goes out with her friends to smoke shisha and eat, said that a couple of days ago she went to a five-star restaurant in Amman, and paid JD28 for a disposable argileh.

“The prices are just too high,” according to Hussein who added that “for sure argileh’s price would be higher in hotels and five-star restaurants, but the price difference between those places and most cafes in Amman is excessive”.

Wisam Mohammad, a shisha smoker, told The Jordan Times over the phone on Tuesday that argileh prices are on the rise.

 “I feel that there is some sort of exploitation of shisha users, especially that serving argileh in public places was newly allowed,” he said.

It is “abnormal to pay for shisha JD10 in one place, and in another shop, just across the street, the price is double”, Mohammed said.

The Jordan Times contacted a couple of restaurants and cafes that serve argileh, most of which are in Amman. The cost of a disposable argileh in most cafes and restaurants ranged between JD6-JD15.

Operational expenses are high, and the price is a bit higher now as cafes and restaurants include disposable shishas’ costs that customers can take with them when they leave the shop, according to a couple of employees working at shops that serve argileh.

Media Director at the Tourism Ministry Ahmad Rifai told The Jordan Times on Tuesday that “ the ministry has a monitoring role and it intervenes if the price of the argileh is not as shown in the menu”.

According to Health Ministry’s latest figures, tobacco consumption has claimed the lives of 9,027 Jordanians so far this year.

Smoking rates in Jordan are some of the highest in the world. More than eight out of 10 men smoke or regularly use nicotine products including e-cigarettes, according to a Health Ministry study carried out in collaboration with the World Heath Organisation.