West Bengal extends pan-masala, gutkha ban for another year

The West Bengal govrnmrnt has banned the sale of gutkha and tobacco spices in the state for another year as they may be injurious to health. Tapan K Rudra, Commissioner of Food Safety of the Health Department in the state, has banned the production, storage, sale, or distribution of gutkha and tobacco products for one year from November 8 this year. The notification in a notice, said as per "regulation 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations 2011 made by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, in the exercise of powers conferred by clause (i) of sub-section (2) of section 92 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (Central Act 34 of 2006) read with section 26 thereof, prohibits sale of articles of food in which tobacco and/or nicotine are used as ingredients, as they may be injurious to health."

The West Bengal government in its 2019 notification had said that making, storing, and selling of all things in which nicotine is found would be legally punishable. However, cigarette was not included in the notification. In 2013, the state government had banned khaini, gutkha and pan masala in West Bengal for one year.