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A spiritual group here is seeking a ban on 'gutka' or chewing tobacco, saying it is mainly responsible for the rising incidence of oral cancer. The Gujarat unit of Gayatri Pariwar is planning to submit a memorandum signed by millions to both President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a ban on gutka production. India needs to be made 'gutka free', said Gayatri Pariwar activist Kirit Soni, who heads the 'Gutka Free India' group. 'Law prevents the sale of gutka in 26 states but there is no ban on its production,' he said. 'As a result, it is illegally sold in many places, and the young consume it.' (Read: Ban on gutka, pan masala, khaini, supari can we finally say goodbye?)
Dangers of gutka, khaini and other forms of smokeless tobacco
Sold as mouth fresheners or something similar, these products use menthol, perfume, spices, sugar, etc. to mask the bitter taste of tobacco and other carcinogens and get youngsters hooked. The truth is that tobacco remains the most dangerous consumer product in the world in the 21st century which kills half its patrons (and I see many of them every day, those who've been disfigured by the most horrible forms of oral and mouth cancer) and its very existence is a bane to mankind.
In India, tobacco causes 45% of all cancer deaths and 20% of all deaths. People find it impossible to quit because of the addictive nature of the chemical nicotine so addictive that WHO considers tobacco addiction a disease which sadly afflicts one out of every three Indian. Along with tobacco, gutka and pan masala contains other harmful metal content like lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, copper and nickel. Areca nut or betel nut one of the main ingredients of all these products is a confirmed carcinogen according to WHO and a cause of severe illnesses.
With inputs from IANS
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