Hyderabad: The Telangana Legislative Assembly took a decisive step on Monday by unanimously passing a Bill to prohibit hookah parlours across the state.
The amendment to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 was swiftly approved through a voice vote without any deliberation.
Initiated by Legislative Affairs Minister D. Sridhar Babu, representing Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Telangana Amendment Bill 2024 was introduced at the outset of the day’s session.
Explaining the rationale behind the Bill, Minister Babu emphasized the detrimental effects of hookah parlours on the younger generation, prompting the government’s urgent action to curb their proliferation. He cited concerns over the increasing prevalence of hookah addiction among youth and college students, exploited by parlour operators.
Highlighting the comparative risks, the minister underscored the heightened health hazards associated with hookah smoking compared to cigarette consumption. He informed the Assembly that a one-hour session of hookah smoking, comprising approximately 200 puffs, is estimated to be 100 times more injurious than smoking cigarettes.