In a fresh crackdown against nicotine consumption, the Haryana government has asked all hookah bars to stop serving qehwa tobacco molasses, a nicotine-rich drug.
The drug control authority on Wedensday issued notices to two bars in Panchkula. According to the officials of the Food and Drugs Authority, the notices were issued after samples collected from both bars were found to have contained higher quantity of nicotine.
In a series of raids conducted last month, 83 samples were collected from 32 hookah bars in seven districts. Of them, ten bars were raided in Panchkula, five in Panipat, two in Gurgaon, five in Faridabad, seven in Rohtak, two in Hisar and one in Jhajjar. Officials said the test reports of samples collected from Gurgaon bars are still awaited and actions will be taken on the basis of the report. They said that a written undertaking have been taken from the owners of the two Panchkula bars and in case of non-compliance, stringent action would be taken against them.
According to experts, the qehwa tobacco molasses, being served in these two bars contained up to 0.47% nicotine.