Karnataka bans sale of tobacco, nicotine products for one year

Bengaluru: Karnataka has prohibited the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of gutkha, pan masala and other products containing tobacco and nicotine for one year, citing public health concerns.

The Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration has notified the ban under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.

The ban will remain in force across Karnataka for one year from the date of the notification. The move comes weeks after Chief Minister DK Shivakumar warned the pan masala and gutkha industry that his government would consider banning such products if authorities found intoxicating substances being added to products sold to consumers.

CM Warned

Shivakumar, speaking at the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and a drug-free India conclave in Bengaluru in June, had alleged that some manufacturers were adding intoxicating substances to pan masala, gutkha, areca nut and other tobacco products to give consumers a drug-like effect.

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"If this is indeed the case and is not stopped immediately, the government will ban the sale of all types of pan masala, gutkha and chewing tobacco products in Karnataka," he had said.

The CM had also said enforcement within the state alone would not be sufficient to tackle the drug menace. Karnataka established a dedicated Anti-Narcotic Task Force in 2025 to target drug trafficking networks, but Shivakumar stressed the need for stronger border controls to prevent drugs from entering the country.

Food safety department steps up enforcement

The latest notification directs Food Safety Officers to conduct special inspections and enforcement operations targeting the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution and sale of prohibited tobacco and nicotine products.

The department has appealed to the public to report on the manufacture, sale or distribution of such products to the authorities and cooperate with enforcement agencies.

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The government said the measures were aimed at protecting public health and building a "healthy and addiction-free Karnataka".

Shivakumar had also warned medical and paramedical students that a conviction under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act could end their professional careers, including their eligibility for registration and practice.