# Karnataka bans gutkha, pan masala with tobacco for one year 2026-08-12T20:02:23+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets The Karnataka government has banned the sale and distribution of products containing tobacco and nicotine for one year from August 10, 2026. The food safety department issued the notification under the Food Safety and Standards Act, targeting gutkha, pan masala and similar items. Officials said special inspections and enforcement operations are under way across the state. The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) has urged the government not to let the ban hurt arecanut growers or the legitimate arecanut trade. Campco president SR Satishchandra said arecanut is a plantation crop supporting lakhs of farmers and should not be conflated with tobacco products. Karnataka's GST collection from arecanut and arecanut-based products was Rs 90.02 crore in the first quarter of 2026-27, the highest among states. ## Coverage - ndtv.com - thehindubusinessline.com Tags: food safety, gutkha ban, Karnataka, Pan masala, public health, tobacco Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-bans-gutkha-pan-masala-with-tobacco-for-one-year/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/karnataka-bans-gutkha-pan-masala-with-tobacco-for-one-year/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.