Feature article: Is dokha a phenomenon in Dubai, or is it just a phase? by Marina Makary

A long thin pipe with a tiny transparent bottle of tobacco, kept in colorful cases, has been seen with the majority of Dubai's residents nowadays, both young teenagers and adults. Dokha, not only gives a stronger effect than cigarettes or shisha, but also explains its Arabic name and makes one feel dizzy from just one intake.

Bola Shokry, a twelfth grader in Al Noor private school said, “I smoke dokha almost everyday in school mainly because I like its strong effect, and what encourages me is that my friends go with me. We go between classes and during break without the fear of getting caught, as one of us is always standing outside the bathroom to make sure no teachers are around.”

Dokha has been famous in most outdoor areas like parks and cafes. However, it has increased rapidly in several schools in Dubai. Bola added joyfully, “There are many different types of dokhas, and each person chooses it according to what he wishes. Which one you buy depends on your mood, and also how much dizziness you can withstand.”

Smoking centers have increased at a very quick pace in the past two to three years. To add to that, it’s clear that smoking itself has increased in the desert country, not only between locals, but also among various other cultures. According to Mehdi Rezaye, a medwakh seller at the Yousuf Reda chain for medwakhs and shisha, “We sell around 70 to 80 dokhas per day. This number has increased a lot in the past few years and I’m positive that it will continue to rise because teenagers are finding it a trend now, and enjoy it.”

Mehdi then added while arranging the different medwakhs in order of sizes, “We mainly get local Emiratis, Indians, and Iranians; and although the majority of our customers are males, we do get females buying medwakhs every once in a while."

While smoking behind one of the buildings at the university, Mohamed Youssef, a freshmen at the American University in Dubai, said “I’ve been smoking dokha for around seven months. I personally prefer it over cigarettes because just one puff gives you a much better effect than many puffs from a cigarette.”

Mohamed seemed to know a lot about smoking. He did not like cigarettes, but enjoyed shisha, and added, "After trying shisha, and loving it like most teenage boys, I saw a friend of mine smoke medwakh and I was motivated to give it a try. It gave me self-satisfaction. I tend to smoke during my happiest moments, and also during my moments of depression."

Ali, an old  shopkeeper at Ashkanani supermarket says, "The municipality rarely visits us and so we are not afraid to sell medwakhs here to anyone. Moreover, medwakh is not illegal in Dubai." He confidently pulled one off the shelf and complained, "We will not stop selling medwakhs! Life in Dubai is expensive; we cannot afford to lose a whole lot of customers."