Bronx Bodegas Cater to Potentially Harmful Hookah Habit

Bodegas throughout the Bronx sell hookah products, which can have harmful health effects. Photo credit: Getty Images

By Barbara Sam

The new social trend of smoking hookahs, or water pipes containing tobacco, is making teens and young adults especially vulnerable to health risks. Hookah and e-cigarettes are not traditional cigarettes, but they also contain the highly addictive substance known as nicotine. A recent study published in the American Heart Association’s Journal states that smoking tobacco in water pipes results means inhaling toxic chemicals that may harm the heart, at levels that exceed traditional cigarette smoke. 

Smoking already endangers teens in particular. A recent study reported that one in every five high school students uses e-cigarettes, a habit heavily encouraged by flavored tobacco marketing, social media promotion and misperceptions regarding its addictive potential and health effects. 

Teens and young adults are more prone to becoming addicted to nicotine from excessive smoking through the use of hookah and e-cigarettes. The National Academy of Medicine study found that increasing the age that one can purchase tobacco to 21 results in less smoking. For years, tobacco companies have created advertising campaigns targeted towards teens and young According to a 2014 Cigarette report by the Federal Trade Commission the tobacco industry spent $9.1 billion on marketing for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products. 

Today, tobacco has been camouflaged with flavor, which causes more people to be less concerned with the idea that they are smoking non-traditional cigarettes. There are many misconceptions about the addictive potential and potential adverse health effects of the use of flavored of tobacco. the Center for Disease Control 2017 survey concluded, 19.3% of New York high school youth reported they used tobacco product, including e-cigarettes. Among New York high school youth, 5.5% reported to smoking cigarettes.

The popularity of water pipes has also increased demand for hookahs, which are available along with an assortment of flavored vapes and electronic cigarettes at local bodegas in the Bronx. In Kingsbridge bodegas, just blocks away from the Lehman College Campus, there is a lot of foot traffic,. Many customers are shopping not for candy but instead for hookahs and accessories as well as cigarettes. Several stores in the neighborhood contain display cases filled with flavored vapor cartridges, smoking accessories and full hookah bowls.

Millie Anaya, a Bronx Resident, came to a bodega on Fordham Road to buy blueberry flavored tobacco to smoke hookah at home. “They have what I need here, and it’s closer to my house. Its convenient, I get off the train, I buy and then go home.” Anaya added that although she smokes and enjoys hookah with flavored tobacco, either alone or with friends, she does not smoke cigarettes. 

Minutes later another young woman and student at Mercy College came into the same store to buy charcoal for her hookah bowl. Within 20 minutes of standing inside the store more than one third of the customers came into the store solely to buy a tobacco related product. 

Financial Planning Helps Students Avoid Pitfalls

2019 Costs of Attendance | CUNY Lehman College.” College Tuition Compare, www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/190637/cuny-lehman-college/tuition/.

by Nelson Fernandez

College is a great investment, but students may undergo financial stress. Before and throughout their college career, students should have a budget plan. Undergraduates of Lehman College face an average annual tuition of $7,210 for New York State residents, and $14,880 on average for out-of-state students.

Students have the option to either request a loan or apply for financial aid through FAFSA if they are eligible. Before making that choice, students discuss with their parents or guardian which option is best for them. 

Students may have to work part time in order to afford public transportation and food on campus, and to budget the time to study and complete assignments for classes. Creating a schedule in advance can help students manage these demands, as can a financial budget.

When enrolling in courses for the following semester, students should calculate the costs for each class, including food and round-trip transportation costs. Some students suggest using budget apps to help. “I have a better idea of how I spend my money now that I have this app called Mint which helps me budget,” said Davidia Boykins, a Lehman English major minoring in Biology. “Also, it shows me where I should cut down on spending money.”

According to Lauren Schwahn in NerdWallet, students “don’t have to go through a grueling process, like filling out a spreadsheet every day; you’ll have enough homework. Just set aside some time at least once a month to review your money situation. Budgeting apps and online banking can help make the process more manageable,” (2019).

Still, managing costs can be a struggle for students. Zarin Siddiqua, an English major minoring in education, comes to Lehman all the way from Queens. She explained: “I struggle with food. I’m always buying food because I come all the way from Queens, and I must leave my house early in order to get to school. Sometimes, I will meal prep overnight but that’s only if I’m able to get home from work before 12 in the night and I’m not tired.”

Textbooks can be quite expensive too, especially for science and math courses. Renting out textbooks from the college’s bookstore or from Amazon and Chegg can help save some cash. 

Students who apply for FASFA may receive a refund check mid-semester; it is highly recommended that they save it in a bank account. A student bank account includes benefits such as discounts on clothes and accessories via CUNY e-mail. 

Steven Roa, a Lehman English major, receives financial assistance and stated, “I save the refund I receive in my savings for future emergencies and for my aspirations. Sometimes I spend money on food. And other times I spend on needs, such as a bike.”