Gujarat bans rolling paper: Govt bans sale of rolling paper, cones to curtail drug abuse
Gujarat govt bans rolling paper: Earlier on Tuesday, hours before the notification was effected, the Surat City police conducted raids at multiple locations to seize suspicious packets of tobacco products as well as hookahs.
3 min readVadodaraUpdated: Dec 17, 2025 12:24 PM IST
Tobacco rolling paper have poisonous elements like titanium oxide, potassium nitrite, artificial dye, calcium carbonate as chlorine bleach, which are hazardous for human health, a govt notification read (Representative image: Unsplash@dominiquestueben).
Gujarat govt bans rolling paper: In a significant step to crack down on drug abuse among youngsters, the Gujarat Home Department on Tuesday announced a complete ban on the storage, distribution and sale of rolling paper and pre-rolled cones – widely used by tobacco smokers – with immediate effect.
The move is aimed at preventing access to such material at local tea stalls, paan and retail outlets, a notification issued by the State Home Department said.
The notification said, “(The rolling paper) have poisonous elements like titanium oxide, potassium nitrite, artificial dye, calcium carbonate as chlorine bleach, which are hazardous for human health… Such rolling paper, smoking cones are easily available at paan parlours, general kirana stores as well as tea stalls. As a result, there has been a significant increase of drug abuse among the youth. The interest of the people of Gujarat necessitates prohibition of sale of such (rolling paper) at local stores…”
The notification states that the prohibitory order has been issued under Sections 163(2) (provides for issuing orders immediately without issuing notice) and 163(3) (orders that can target a specific person or location) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. The ban comes into effect at all outlets and retail e-commerce stores selling rolling paper and ‘gogo’ cones.
The notification also specifies that those violating the prohibitory order will be booked under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which provides penalties for disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant.
The notification comes two days after the Surat city police launched a drive to curb the sale of rolling paper by taking stores into confidence. Surat City Commissioner of Police Anupamsinh Gahlaut told The Indian Express, “The issue came to our notice when we recently confiscated a stash of hybrid ganja. It was found that there is no way for consuming hybrid ganja without rolling paper and cones. These are also not used for any other purpose…”
Gahlaut added, “In fact, recently, a newer version of these cones and paper came, along with pipes to make stuffing contraband easier. It is a major step that the Gujarat Home Department has recognised this problem and issued prohibitory orders that gives the police the power to book persons involved in sale of such paper.”
Earlier on Tuesday, hours before the notification was effected, the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Surat City police conducted simultaneous raids at multiple locations to seize suspicious packets of tobacco products as well as hookahs, along with other products used for weighing, crushing and consuming narcotics. A similar drive was also organised in Vadodara city, where police teams were deployed to check parlours and outlets involved in sale of rolling paper.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
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Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
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