Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Wednesday passed a bill to ban hookah bars throughout the state. The legislation comes with strict penalties including imprisonment ranging from one to three years and fines up to ₹1 lakh for those found violating the prohibition.

The decision to implement the ban was made after amending the existing Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), aiming to safeguard public health and combat tobacco-related diseases. The move reflects the government’s commitment to creating smoke-free environments and protecting citizens from the harmful effects of tobacco use.

The state has also raised the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes and other tobacco products to 21 years. This measure aligns with efforts to curb underage smoking and promote healthier lifestyles among the youth.

In addition to banning hookah bars, the amended bill enforces a blanket prohibition on the use of tobacco products in public places. The government has also imposed restrictions on the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco items within a 100-metre radius of educational institutions with violators facing fines of ₹1,000.

Priyank Kharge, a minister in the state government and Congress leader, emphasised the government’s decision as a necessary step to protect public health and maintain law and order, particularly concerning the growing number of young individuals frequenting hookah bars. “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, have taken this decision,” he said.

Earlier this month, on February 2, the Karnataka government issued a notification officially prohibiting the sale, consumption, storage, advertisement, and promotion of all hookah products across the state. This notification has been made into law with the amendment.

The directive, issued by the health and family welfare department, pointed out significant health risks associated with hookah bars. Citing concerns about the transmission of communicable diseases such as herpes, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and Covid-19 due to direct oral contact, the notification also highlights fire safety hazards and violations of fire safety norms posed by these establishments.

“ In general, the sale, consumption, and advertising of hookah products known as hookah tobacco or nicotine-containing nicotine-free tobacco-free, flavoured, unflavoured hookah molasses, shisha and other similar names and the producing, procuring, trading of the same has been banned with immediate effect in the interest of public health in the state,” the directive added.

The state health department highlighted that hookah is a product that is consumed orally through a nozzle or pipe device in a sealed container. The consumption of hookah spreads infectious diseases like herpes, tuberculosis, hepatitis, Covid-19 and other diseases through the mouth, it said.

According to the government order, the ban falls under the purview of several existing regulations, including the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), Child Protection and Welfare Act, Food Safety and Standards Act, and Karnataka Poisons (Possession and Sale) Rules, 2015. Violators will face penalties as per the provisions outlined in these laws.