Karnataka: Chief Minister Shivakumar warns gutkha industry of ban if substances are found

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday issued a stern warning to the pan masala and gutkha industry that his government will ban the sale of areca-based and tobacco products in Karnataka if authorities find any trace of intoxicating substances in any products sold to consumers.

Some manufacturers were lacing pan masala, gutkha, areca nut and other areca nut and tobacco products with intoxicating substances to give consumers a drug-like kick, the CM said, while speaking at the 31st Foundation Day celebration of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and ‘Drug-Free India Conclave’ in Bengaluru.

If this was indeed the case and was not stopped immediately, the government would ban the sale of all types of pan masala, gutkha and chewing tobacco products in Karnataka, Shivakumar said.


Shivakumar stressed that enforcement by the state authorities alone would not be enough to stop drug menace. While Karnataka established a dedicated Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) in 2025 to hunt down trafficking networks, such efforts cannot succeed if national borders remain compromised.

The drug menace in the country is like a tap and a bucket. As long as the tap at the border stays open, no matter what you do locally, the bucket fills up repeatedly, the CM said stressing that a drug-free Bharat is impossible without impenetrable borders.

"Building a drug-free Karnataka is our goal. We are organizing programmes for this purpose,” Shivakumar said, adding that preventing drug addiction was a major challenge, and everyone must join hands to ensure that the younger generation does not fall into the trap of this addiction.

The CM also conveyed a blunt message to medical and paramedical students, warning that a single drug conviction under the NDPS Act would instantly end a medical career before it even begins.

"A drug conviction under the NDPS Act can mean arrest, a permanent criminal record, and the end of a medical or professional career before it begins. No license, no registration, no practice," he said, reminding students that a dream built over a decade can collapse in a single moment of recklessness.

The CM told students, "Drugs take you to hell, disguised as heaven. Be careful of momentary joy.”