In order to protect youth and the general public’s health, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao issued a nationwide ban on hookahs on Wednesday. He did this by citing alarming data from the WHO Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016–17 (GATS–2). In order to reduce the danger of tobacco intake, the prohibition was required since 22.8% of adults in Karnataka were reported to use tobacco products, including 8.8% smokers and 23.9% those who were exposed to second-hand smoke in public places.
Dinesh Gundu Rao, the Karnataka health minister, reportedly declared a countrywide ban on hookah in order to safeguard youth and the general public’s health. The worrisome WHO Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016–17 (GATS–2) data, which shows that 22.8% of people in Karnataka use tobacco, with 8.8% of them smokers, supports this prompt approach.
The Karnataka Poisons Rules of 2015 classify nicotine as “poison,” but the COTPA Act classifies hookah as a “tobacco product” by the government.
According to a release from the minister’s office, “The prohibition of hookah use, sale, and service in hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges, cafes, clubs, and other establishments is seen as a crucial step in protecting the youth from substance abuse and the harmful effects of tobacco.”
According to the statement, the Karnataka government has taken this move with the conviction that it will be supported by all law-abiding individuals who place the health and wellbeing of the people above everything else.
