Basam Chahine is the father of six. A retired petroleum engineer, he now lives in Lawrence helping his sons run the family business: the Hookah House, 730 Massachusetts St.

To Basam and his family, the traditional glass tobacco pipe, known as a hookah in America, is more than just their livelihood, it is a reminder of their culture and religion.

“It took us a year to start up, to convince the city we were good for the community,” Chahine said. “What we have is traditional.” Chahine is Muslim and from Lebanon. Drugs and alcohol are against his religion. He and his sons pride themselves on being able to provide a place for Muslim students to avoid the normal college festivities that violate this moral.

“The police have never given us any trouble at all,” said Chahine’s son, Hazem. “This is a place for people to have a good time not under the influence.”

Despite recent fears that the Hookah House will be shut down because of a new state law redefining drug paraphernalia the city has chosen to allow the commercial service of tobacco through these traditional pipes as long as they are not sold to the public. Mohammed Iskandrani, owner of Aladdin’s Cafe, 1021 Massachusetts St., said a Lawrence police officer called him and told him not to close up shop completely. He could still serve the hookah.

Sergeant Paul Fellers, Lawrence Police Internal Affairs officer, said individual cases within the law would be judged on a case by case basis.

“It would likely be difficult to show that a hookah used solely for smoking tobacco in an establishment that regulates its use was used primarily intended or designed for some other purpose,” Fellers said.

Basam said that his establishment wasn’t dependant on hookahs.

“We do not need to sell hookahs to do well,” he said. “But if they said we could not serve, we would be devastated.”

According to Hazem, it is impossible for anyone to slip marijuana into his hookahs. He or his brother, Bassem, prepare every hookah themselves. They are the only people who can touch the bowl, where the tobacco is placed.

“This place has nothing to do with [drugs], and we like it that way,” Hazem said.

Hazem said he does not endorse the hookah as a safe alternative to cigarettes, but if you are going to smoke tobacco, the hookah is the best way to do it. He said the chemicals are different in hookah tobacco and there is no tar.

“The hookah has so many filters that you don’t get as much nicotine,” Hazem said. “It is harder to get addicted.”

With the passage of House Bill 2062 last summer, police are even more concerned with the sale of items that could serve the consumption of dangerous and otherwise illegal drugs like methamphetamine and marijuana. Although hookahs were included in the law, legislators did not specifically target traditional hookah use.

Douglas County District Attorney, Charles Branson, said that if a person could demonstrate a legal purpose, the hookah was not a problem.

Hazem equates the Hookah House to a coffee shop. He said that in his culture, after school a young person would study and then go to his or her hookah place.

Candice Farha, Marjaayoun, Lebanon freshman, said that going to the Hookah House made the transition to the United States easier for her.

“Whenever I come here, it reminds me of home,” Farha said. “It makes me feel like I am not so far away.” Smoking a hookah, or what she calls an arguileh, is just something that she does with her family at meals.

“I’ve grown up with it,” Farha said. “Sometimes the whole town gets together over a meal and that is just part of it.”

Basam said that the hookah provided friendly socializing.

“Just look around,” he said. “The people here are just relaxing and enjoying each other. No one is acting stupid. No one is drunk.”

Farha said that people didn’t see the hookah for its true value in America. She said that just because a hookah was something you smoke out of, people saw it as drug paraphernalia. Farha said the hookah was never intended for marijuana or any other illegal drug.

“It is not meant to be a bad thing, but people who don’t understand make it out to be.” Farha said.

Farha said drug and alcohol use was greater in America mostly because the laws make it a novelty.

“In America, people go out with the intention of drinking,” Farha said. “In Lebanon, people have a drink because they are out.”

Local patrons at the Hookah House said they went there to avoid the drug and alcohol scene on campus.

“It is easy for people to gather and have a good time here,” said Danny Smyl, Edmonton, Canada, freshman. “This is such a cool atmosphere that you don’t need to be drunk to have a good time.”

“We can’t go to the bars because we are not 21,” Chris Newman, Chanute sophomore, said. “This is a good alternative to underage drinking.”

Newman said that he didn’t even know about the hookah before he came to Lawrence. He said that the Hookah House helped him to learn more about a different culture and a nice Lebanese family.

—Edited by Madeline Hyden