The Karnataka government has decided to amend the law for a complete ban on hookah bars, as they have become “a hub for sale and supply of drugs.”
It has also proposed to increase the legal age for purchase or sale of tobacco products from 18 to 21 years.
Buffer zone
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the government would amend the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) to also include places of educational institutions, religious worship, healthcare institutions, parks, anganwadi centres, and public offices under the 100-metre buffer where tobacco products cannot be sold.
Mr. Gundu Rao announced these measures at a press conference along with Youth Empowerment & Sports Minister B. Nagendra.
Many unlicensed hookah bars have mushroomed, especially in Bengaluru and other cities, and many of them have become venues for substance abuse. A few months ago, in Bengaluru, police teams raided a few bars and unearthed consumption of narcotics by customers
Both Ministers held a meeting with senior officials on Tuesday. Mr. Nagendra said the intention of the government was to make the State free from drugs. The existing law would be amended to enforce the ban across the State. Many of the youth in the age between 13 and 29 fall trap to hookah bars, he said.
Tamil Nadu’s notification
In August 2023, the Tamil Nadu government issued a gazette notifying the prohibition of hookah bars in that State. It specified the punishment for running hookah bars, which includes an imprisonment for a term not less than one year but may extend to three years and shall be liable to fine of not less than ₹20,000 but may extend to ₹50,000.
