English
Bengaluru: In an effort to protect the “public health and youth”, the Karnataka government on Thursday announced a statewide ban sale and consumption of hookah citing he serious health risks associated” with it, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said.
Taking to social media, Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “Statewide ban on hookah to protect public health and youth. Given the serious health risks associated with hookah smoking, we have taken decisive action by banning hookah smoking across the state”.
“In light of this concern, we are implementing a ban on hookah smoking in Karnataka by amending the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA). Our government is working to build a safer and healthier environment for our future generations,” he added.
This decisive action is backed by alarming data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2016-17 (GATS-2), which states that 22.8 per cent of adults in Karnataka use tobacco, with 8.8 per cent being smokers.
The report further reveals that 23.9 per cent of adults are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places, demonstrating the pervasive risk of tobacco consumption in the state.
The Karnataka government had in September 2023 announced that the state was mulling a ban on hookah bars and increasing the legal age for tobacco consumption from 18 to 21 years. That time, Gundu Rao had highlighted that the unknown ingredients used in hookahs could potentially lead to addiction.
Apart from Karnataka, the Haryana government had earlier also announced a ban on serving hookah to customers in hotels, restaurants, bars and commercial establishments across the state. However, the ban in that does not apply to traditional hookahs used in rural areas.
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