Hookah is more dangerous than cigarettes, can give Hepatitis, heart attack, cancer: Karnataka HC
hookah items in Karnataka, the high court has stated that the measures taken by the state government are in strict accordance with 'Article 47' of the Constitution of India, besides being entirely defensible in the eyes of the law, a TOI report stated.
Article 47 mandates that the state should strive to prevent the consumption, with the exception of medicinal use, of intoxicating beverages and of harmful drugs.
Rejecting the pleas submitted by proprietors of hookah bars who contested the health department's announcement on February 7 this year, Justice M Nagaprasanna highlighted findings from the New York Poison Control Center study, stating that hookah smoking has the potential to lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and substances such as burning charcoal, utilized in the procedure, can result in heart attacks, reduced lung capacity, breathing issues, cancer, and untimely demise.
According to the judge, a single hookah session lasts for an hour and is approximated to involve 200 puffs, equating it to the consumption of 100 cigarettes… The judge emphasized that hookah is just as addictive, harmful, and chemical-laden as cigarettes. While cigarette packets are mandated to carry health warnings, and alcohol bottles also bear such warnings, hookah products do not.
Hence, the state's measures are in complete alignment with 'Article 47' of the Constitution,” he remarked. The judge highlighted a global rise in shisha smoking as per a study by the World Health Organisation, indicating that the smoke from shisha contains
