Telangana: Bill imposing state-wide ban on hookah parlors passed
Telangana's legislative assembly on Monday unanimously cleared a bill prohibiting hookah parlors across the state. Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu introduced the bill on behalf of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. He expressed concern about the growing popularity of hookah smoking among youth and the threat of addiction. He said the organizers of hookah parlors were taking advantage of its popularity. The legislation was approved just a few days after Telangana's neighboring state, Karnataka, imposed a similar ban.
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During the assembly session, Babu explained how hookah smoking is even more harmful than cigarette smoking, as it exposes users to toxic substances like carbon monoxide and carcinogens. Furthermore, he emphasized the associated risks to passive smokers and pointed out that hookah parlors present a public health hazard, too. Consequently, the state government believes that strong actions, such as banning hookah bars, are necessary and should be implemented swiftly.
Hookah is 100 times more harmful than cigarettes: Government
The legislation is officially called the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Telangana Amendment) Bill, 2024. As per Babu, a one-hour hookah comprising about 200 puffs is 100 times more harmful than cigarettes. He said that since hookah contains charcoal, the smoke that comes out of it will have carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals). Therefore, hookah is a threat to society, he observed.
Telangana HC earlier restricted operations of hookah parlors
In November 2023, the Telangana High Court ruled that any hookah shop in Hyderabad would require separate and specific permissions from the city police and municipal department to run. It clarified that any such parlor would not be allowed to function just on the basis of having a hotel/restaurant license. Hookah is an addictive substance containing high levels of nicotine or tobacco, along with flavoring substances that contain the harmful chemical carbon monoxide, as per the World Health Organization (WHO).
Sale and consumption of hookah banned in Karnataka
On Thursday, the Karnataka government imposed a state-wide ban on hookahs to protect "public health and youth." In a post on X, State Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said, "Given the serious health risks...we have taken decisive action by banning hookah smoking across the state." The ban came amid a backdrop of a fire accident at a hookah bar in Bengaluru's Koramangala last year, which did not comply with fire and safety regulations.
