Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has warned that the government will not hesitate to ban any Pan Masala or Gutka, if it contains slightest banned intoxicating substances.
Speaking at the 31st Foundation Day celebration of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and ‘Drug-Free India Conclave’ held at Kanteerava Stadium, the CM said, “It has come to my notice that intoxicating substances are being mixed in pan masala, gutka, areca nut and other such products before being sold, engineered to give a drug-like 'high.' If this is indeed true and is not stopped immediately, the sale of all types of pan masala, gutka and chewing tobacco products will be banned in Karnataka," he warned.
The Chief Minister said that he would not mind losing a couple of hundred crore revenue through the indirect tax from these products, but would not allow any kind of narcotic substances be sold in the guise of food products.
Using a `tap and bucket' analogy to underline that local enforcement alone is not enough to stop drug menace, the Chief Minister noted that while Karnataka established a dedicated Anti-Narcotic Task Force (ANTF) in 2025 to hunt down trafficking networks, such efforts cannot succeed if national borders remain compromised.
"The drug menace in the country is like a tap and a bucket. As long as the tap at the border stays open, no matter what you do locally, the bucket fills up repeatedly," he said, emphasizing that a drug-free Bharat is impossible without impenetrable border security.
"Building a drug-free Karnataka is our goal. We are organizing programmes for this purpose. I welcome the fact that all of you have come together today to hold this Drug-Free India gathering. You are all ambassadors of this cause. Preventing drug addiction is a major challenge, and let us all unite to ensure that the younger generation does not fall into the trap of this addiction. This is everyone's duty. You have chosen a profession of saving lives, and I congratulate you for it," he said.
In a blunt message to the Medical students, the Chief Minister said that the medical and paramedical students, warned that a single drug conviction under the NDPS Act would instantly end a medical career even before it begins.
"A drug conviction under the NDPS Act can mean arrest, a permanent criminal record, and the end of a medical or professional career before it begins. No license, no registration, no practice," he said, reminding students that a dream built over a decade can collapse in a single moment of recklessness.
