Chief Minister D K Shivakumar warns of a statewide ban if allegations of intoxicating substances being mixed into chewing products are found to be t
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said the state government may impose a blanket ban on pan masala, gutka and chewing tobacco products if reports of intoxicating substances being mixed into them are found to be true.
Shivakumar expressed concern over allegations that certain chewable products were being adulterated with substances capable of producing a narcotic effect.
“It has come to my attention that intoxicating substances are being mixed into pan masala, gutka, areca nut, and other such products before being sold, engineered to give a drug-like ‘high’. If this is indeed true and is not stopped immediately, the sale of all types of pan masala, gutka, and chewing tobacco products will be banned in Karnataka,” Shivakumar said.
Tackling Drug Menace
Highlighting the challenge of curbing drug abuse, Shivakumar said state-level enforcement measures alone would not be sufficient unless supported by stronger action at the national level. Using a “tap and bucket” analogy, he said efforts to curb narcotics trafficking would remain ineffective if the country’s borders continued to remain vulnerable.
Shivakumar noted that Karnataka had established a dedicated Anti-Narcotic Task Force in 2025 to dismantle drug trafficking networks, but added that the problem required coordinated intervention beyond state boundaries.
Warning healthcare professionals against any involvement in narcotics-related activities, Shivakumar said such actions could have severe legal and professional consequences.
“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 licence, no registration, no practice,” he said.
Shivakumar also said that Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences would be shifted to a new campus in Bengaluru South district.
According to officials, land identified for the project, which was previously under litigation, has now been cleared, and the university’s relocation will be carried out in phases.
