BANGALORE: After two years have gone by on the ban of gutka, the Karnataka government is deliberating on whether to ban hookah and e-cigarettes in the state.
According to a report UT Khader, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, cited that they are unaware of what’s being sold off as hookah and this might be harmful for children. Hence, they are contemplating on banning both products, reports DNA.
The minister also stated that they have brought down the sale of pan masala sachets as well as flavored tobacco. As per the reports, Khader said “On one hand, we spend crores of rupees on research to find drugs to treat cancer and on the other; we pay just Rs 2 to buy gutka.”
The Institute for Global Tobacco Control of Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University along with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) India office has conducted a study.
The results showing that in Karnataka, around 80pct of the respondents were looking forward for the ban on gutka as well as other forms that include smokeless tobacco. The study further revealed, that the gutka ban had influenced around 64pct of people to quit smoking.
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