Karnataka Assembly Approves Bill Restricting Cigarette Sales to Those Below 21 Years

The Karnataka government on Wednesday passed a bill to ban hookah bars throughout the state. The sale of cigarettes to people under 21 is also prohibited in the state. The Karnataka government has amended the previous Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and said that the amendment is to protect the health of citizens from lung-related diseases.

People who sell Hookah or run Hookah parlours will be fined up to Rs. 1 lakh and three years of imprisonment if found guilty. The Siddaramaiah government has also banned the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products within a radius of 100 meters from schools and colleges.

On February 7, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao announced a blanket ban on Hookah across the state in a bid to tackle tobacco-related diseases. The bill was tabled in the current legislative assembly sessions, and it is successfully passed.