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Intensifying its fight against tobacco, the state government has decided to amend the law for a complete ban on hookah and shisha bars. The government will also raise the legal age for purchase or sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the government is amending the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) to also include places of religious worship, healthcare institutions and public offices under the 100-metre buffer zone where tobacco products cannot be sold.
Rao announced the measures at a joint news conference with Youth Empowerment & Sports Minister B Nagendra.
Rao said the health department will work along with other departments to bring together licensing authorities (local bodies like BBMP), implementing agencies like the Home Department and others to effectively implement the proposed amendments.
Noting that hookah bars are turning out to be a gateway to drugs, Rao said many youngsters aged between 12 and 27 years are frequenting these joints and getting addicted to drugs.
“Hookah bars are adversely affecting youngsters. This is nothing but use of tobacco,” Rao said. “We don’t know on what basis licensing authorities are giving permission to hookah bars.”
Rao said there is no way to ascertain what goes into the hookahs. “We really do not know what substance is being given to our young generation in the name of flavours,” he said.
Nagendra observed that smoking hookahs for 30-45 minutes can cause damage equal to 120-150 sticks of cigarettes. “Addiction is especially high among those aged between 13 and 29 years. Therefore, the state government has decided to give the first priority to ban hookah bars. We want to make Karnataka hookah-free,” he said.
He added that the government will soon issue an order to launch awareness campaigns across the state, especially in taluk and district headquarters. Programmes will also be organised at the village panchayat level.