Smoke shop owners insist their dokha is pure

Strict regulations ensure there is no marijuana or other drugs mixed in with products, they say.

A man smokes dokha using a medwakh pipe at a shop in Abu Dhabi. The retailer said many checks on his business were made throughout the year and it is not possible to sell adulterated substances. DelorShow more

ABU DHABI // Tobacco shop owners dismissed rumours that marijuana-infused dokha tobacco was available for sale, saying that strict regulatory oversight made that impossible.

When rumours started to circulate in local media this month, Dubai Police conducted tests on the dokha tobacco used in medwakh pipes and retested a urine sample from Al Garhoud Private Hospital, used in a previous study.

Police also examined the hospital’s drug-testing procedures.

No traces of marijuana were found in either the tobacco or urine sample.

“We find that this claim is not true and implies an unaccepted accusation,” said Maj Khalil Al Mansouri, the CID assistant general.

“Dubai Police ensures that the managerial and scientific procedures are accredited internationally in the forensic laboratory and ensures the safety of its procedures. The safety issues of the marijuana and dokha are clear, and Dubai Police and the Ministry of Interior endorse and support all the procedures that are provided by all entities in trying to limit its dangers on members of the community.”

Salesmen at Ali Haji Smoking Accessories said tobacco shops did not sell mixed tobacco, which is illegal. But they conceded that customers could “mix in their own substances” if they wished.

“We abide by the laws of police, health authority and municipality,” said a salesman. “We have many checks throughout the year by the authorities. It is not possible to sell [adulterated] substances.

“The tobacco we have comes from different places and contains no flavours. We sell based on the heat intensity required by the customers with no mixes. We are not asked to mix in anything.”

A colleague said the shop did not accept responsibility for what customers did with the tobacco once they bought it.

Customers trust that tobacco vendors offer the high-quality products that they are used to, according to a salesman at another tobacco shop in Abu Dhabi.

“The reason customers go to shops is because they trust the product is authentic with no additives, and of course no future risk of prosecution,” he said.

“They come because they are not afraid to buy the dokha, and they don’t believe the rumours about marijuana in it.”

Both shops said their sales had not been affected by the marijuana rumours.

According to Dr Hamad Al Ghaferi, general manager of the National Rehabilitation Centre in the capital, there may be a link between people smoking dokha tobacco and later using hard drugs.

Citing the cases the centre has knowledge of, he warned youths against taking up smoking of any kind, and added that smoking dokha when young could spark adolescents’ troubled behaviour and lead to the use of banned substances.

Dr Al Ghaferi said there were many factors that “market people to the world of drugs”, and each person’s reaction would vary. “Depending on the environment, the social and economic status, as well as personal factors within a person, all could contribute in the increased opportunity of drug use,” he said.

“Especially when you have family members or peers who can have an effect on you, or have any issues in your personal life.” Dr Al Ghaferi also called for unified efforts to address the causes of illegal substance abuse as a way of limiting drug use.

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Tobacco shop owners dismissed rumours that marijuana-infused dokha tobacco was available for sale, saying that strict regulatory oversight made that impossible. When rumours started to circulate in local media this month, Dubai Police conducted tests on the dokha tobacco used in medwakh pipesonly to find no traces of marijuana. Despite strict regulation, the number of teenagers and adults being charged over possessing “dokha mixes” is rising, lawyers say.

Read more:

■ Legal cases of dokha mix possession on the rise in UAE

■ Former Emirati drug user warns against dokha