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Karnataka CM Shivakumar warns of paan masala and gutka ban over drug abuse fears
There has been a surge in consumption of gutka — an addictive, smokeless tobacco product — which has a lot of cancer-causing chemicals, across India in recent years
- PUBLISHED: Mon 29 Jun 2026, 1:22 PM
Intoxicating substances are being mixed with popular paan masalas and gutkas, which are consumed by millions of people in the south Indian state of Karnataka, and if they are found to contain narcotic substances, the government will ban their sale, warned chief minister D.K. Shivakumar.
"It has come to my notice that intoxicating substances are being mixed and sold in pan masala, gutka, areca nut, and other products,” he posted on ‘X’. “If this is true and is not stopped immediately, the sale of all kinds of pan masala and gutka products will be banned in Karnataka.”
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Shivakumar warned of a government crackdown on the multi-billion-rupee trade if manufacturers were found mixing intoxicants with their products. "If anyone is found adding even a small quantity of any intoxicating substance to these products, I will make every effort to ban them in Karnataka.”
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There has been a surge in consumption of ‘gutka’ (an addictive, smokeless tobacco product, which has a lot of cancer-causing chemicals) across India in recent years.
Rising consumption of gutka
According to official figures, the share of rural households in India consuming gutka has risen almost sixfold to more than 30 per cent now. More than 40 per cent of all rural tobacco expenditure is accounted for by ‘gutka’, which is now the single-largest tobacco product by value.
In rural Madhya Pradesh, 60 per cent of households consume it; in Uttar Pradesh, it is over 50 per cent. Northeastern states have also seen a surge in ‘gutka’ consumption. In Karnataka, a quarter of rural households consume it.
Addressing a ‘Drug-Free India’ conclave in Bengaluru, Shivakumar urged students and healthcare professionals to become ambassadors for a drugs-free Karnataka.
“Our goal is to create a drug-free Karnataka,” underscored Shivakumar, addiing: “Preventing drug addiction is a big challenge and we must all come together to ensure the youth do not fall into this trap.
Indian vice-president C.P. Radhakrishnan, who also addressed the gathering, said India needs “innovative approaches that integrate technology, counselling services, support networks and public health outreach.”
He urged schools, colleges, families, community organisations, healthcare institutions, law enforcement agencies and civil society to work together to tackle the problems.
Karnataka is the largest producer of areca nuts (betel nuts), accounting for 80 per cent of total production and 40 per cent of cultivation. A highly-addictive stimulant drug, it is ranked as the fourth most commonly used psychoactive substance around the world.
The World Health Organisation had warned that betel quid (also known as ‘paan’) with tobacco causes oral cancer, and cancer of the pharynx and esophagus.
