Karnataka Govt Passes Bill To Ban Hookah Bars, Sale Of Cigarette To People Below 21-Year

Karnataka's Siddaramaiah Government on Wednesday passed a bill in the state assembly to ban hookah bars and the sale of cigarettes to people below 21 years of age across the state. According to the bill, heavy penalties up to Rs 1 lakh and one to three years imprisonment will slapped on people buying and selling cigarettes in Karnataka.

Reports said that the Karnataka Government has taken stringent steps to ban the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to safeguard the health of citizens and curb the rapidly increasing number of deaths due to the consumption of tobacco and related products. The bill will now be turned into COTPA (Cigarettes And Other Tobacco Products Act) which will also not allow people to smoke in public places, emphasizing the commitment to create healthy environments to breathe properly.

The Karnataka government's recent action is a reaction to the WHO Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2016-17 (GATS-2) report which states that 22.8% of adults in Karnataka are tobacco users, among which 8.8% are smokers.

The WHO report also underlined that the health of 23.9% of people is being affected because of passive smoking.

Informing about the Karnataka Government's decision to ban hookah bars and the sale of cigarettes to people below 21 years of age, state minister Priyank Kharge said, "It is a decision that the government has taken. There are a lot of youngsters, in their teens, who are found in these places. The government, in the interest of health and law and order, has taken this decision."

Earlier this month, the Government passed a similar bill to ban hookah bars across Karnataka.