‘More Harmful Than Cigarettes’: Telangana Assembly Unanimously Passes Bill Banning Hookah Parlours

‘More Harmful Than Cigarettes’: Telangana Assembly Unanimously Passes Bill Banning Hookah Parlours

The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a bill banning hookah parlours. State Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu, who moved the bill on behalf of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, stated that organizers of hookah parlours are taking advantage of the craze among the youth, including college students, and that there is a possibility of youth getting addicted to it.

Sridhar Babu emphasised that smoking hookah is more harmful than smoking cigarettes and it makes smokers take toxic substances. He also said that smoking hookah also caused harm to passive smokers and poses a health hazard in public places.

“Therefore, tough measures like banning hookah bars are needed and the government felt that a quick decision should be taken,” Sridhar said, as quoted by news agency PTI.

The cigarette and other tobacco products (prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, manufacturing, supply, and distribution) (Telangana Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed unanimously without any discussion.