Karnataka CM Shivakumar warns of ban on pan masala, gutka over drug concerns

2 min readBengaluruUpdated: Jun 29, 2026 10:27 AM IST

Karnataka CM D K Shivakumar at an event in Bengaluru on Sunday. (Express Photo/Special Arrangement)

Claiming he had information that intoxicating substances are being mixed into pan masala, Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar Sunday warned that he was prepared to ban all types of pan masala and gutka in the state.

Speaking at the 31st Foundation Day celebration of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and the ‘Drug-Free India Conclave’ held at Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, the chief minister said, “It has come to my attention that intoxicating substances are being mixed into 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.”

The CM used a “tap and bucket” analogy to underline that local enforcement alone was not enough to stop the drug menace. He noted that “while Karnataka established a dedicated Anti-Narcotic Task Force in 2025 to hunt down trafficking networks, such efforts cannot succeed if national borders remain compromised.”

Cautioning health professionals over getting involved in drug rackets, Shivakumar said, “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 licence, no registration, no practice,” he said.

Shivakumar also confirmed that RGUHS will be relocated to a new campus in the Bengaluru South district. According to an official, the identified land, which was under litigation, has been cleared, and the university is being shifted in a phased manner.