The Karnataka government has announced a statewide ban on hookah to protect public health. Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the state government is "working towards creating a safe and healthy environment for our future generations."
"Keeping in view the serious effects of hookah consumption on people's health, an important order has been issued banning hookah consumption across the state," Dinesh Gundu Rao said in a post on X where he put out the official notification as well.
"We are implementing a ban on hookah smoking in Karnataka by amending the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA)," he said.
An alarming data from the WHO Global Adult Tobacco Survey-2016-17 (GATS-2) had stated that 22.8 per cent of adults in Karnataka use tobacco, with 8.8 per cent being smokers.
The report further revealed 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.
