The department appealed for public help to build an addiction-free Karnataka but issued no formal plan or timeline for the goal.

The Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration has issued a notification prohibiting the sale and distribution of products containing tobacco and/or nicotine in Karnataka in the interest of public health, officials said on Wednesday. The notification, dated August 10, 2026, will remain in force across the State for one year from the date of its issuance, they said.

The Karnataka government has prohibited the sale and distribution of products containing tobacco and nicotine, including gutkha and pan masala, across the state for one year. The Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration issued a notification on August 10 under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.

The Karnataka government has prohibited the manufacture, storage, distribution, transportation and sale of gutkha, pan masala and other products containing tobacco or nicotine across the State for a period of one year.

Karnataka has intensified its crackdown on gutkha, tobacco-containing pan masala and similar products as part of an ambitious push to build a healthy and addiction-free state.

The Karnataka government has banned smoking and the use of tobacco products in all government offices and premises, citing health risks and violation of existing laws. The ban, announced by the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, prohibits employees from consuming cigarettes, gutka, paan masala, and similar products within office boundaries.

Following an advisory from the ministry of health and family welfare issued last year, at least 12 states in India have banned Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS). States of Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Jharkhand have taken steps to ban the use of ENDS, officials in the union health ministry have said.

The Karnataka government is all set to ban the sale of gutka in the state on World No Tobacco Day. ... The government is likely to issue a notification on Friday prohibiting the sale and distribution of gutka and other food products containing tobacco.

State to ban sale of loose cigarettes, smokeless tobacco

In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 30(2)(a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, the Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration has issued a Government Notification dated 10-08-2026, prohibiting the sale and distribution of products containing tobacco and nicotine in the State of Karnataka in the interest of public health. The said notification shall remain in force throughout the state for a period of one year from the date of issuance of the notification, press release said.

Karnataka imposes 1-year ban on gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine

KARNATAKA BANS TOBACCO & NICOTINE PRODUCTS IN HISTORIC MOVE ! EFFECTIVE FROM AUGUST 10, 2026

The Karnataka State Police issued a gazette notification early last year to fill 545 Police sub-inspector (PSI) vacancies.