Welp, it was fun while it lasted. Though shisha was already banned in late 2014, it will be absolutely outlawed come Aug 1, after the end of a given grace period.
Tobacco importers and retailers (mostly found in the Haji Lane district) who sell shisha tobacco will be prohibited from importing, wholesaling or selling them. They were previously allowed to continue doing so due to transitional measures intended to give them time to deplete their stock and restructure their businesses.
On Monday, however, that grace period will end. This also marks the second phase of the Ministry of Health’s ban on emerging tobacco products. Not only will shisha be outrightly illegal, nasal and oral snuff as well as traditional chewing tobaccos like gutkha, khaini and zarda will also be banned. Retailers were all given a notice period from June last year to adjust their operating models away from dealing those products.
The next phase in the government’s relentless confrontation towards smokers will see a ban on displaying tobacco products, which will land on Aug 1 next year. The previous phase already outlawed e-cigarettes, vaping liquids and nicotine patches.
