Bonnie Konyak
Dimapur | June 17
For all the moral policing and banning that Dimapur has been subjected to, there is very little that this emerging commercial hub cannot supply you. Besides the unsuccessful prohibition of liquor in Nagaland, the state has a lot more such failed bans to boast of, like some edible items from Burma banned under the Adulterated Food Act. However, one of the most unsuccessful stories of such a ban is that of the gutka, which incidentally happens to be one the most injurious intoxicants sold today.
A pan shop owner revealed that a minimum of 250 ‘talab’ pouches get sold in a single day, besides the other brands of tobacco. Ironically, the shop owner also disclosed that the sale of these gutka sachets doubles on Sundays, with churchgoers stopping by on their way back home. Multiply this amount to the number of pan shops in Dimapur to get an estimate of the amount of talab consumed just in Dimapur alone.
According to Dr. Aola Imchen, a former practitioner in Dublin, gutka is a shortcut to mouth cancer. She says that the main effects of this tobacco are oral cancer, mouth ulcer, gum disease and prolonged intake results in systematic acute effects like asthma, hypotension and tachycardia.
Dr. Aola also explains that consuming the preparation of crushed betel nut, tobacco, and sweet or savory flavorings also results in higher risks of cancer of the liver, esophagus, cervices and lungs.
Oral and Maxillofacial surgeon, Civil hospital, Dr. Alex adds that the tobacco stimulant reduces the elasticity of the oral tissue leading to inability to open the mouth, pronounce, protrude the tongue, and the colour of the oral tissue changes from red to paper white. The surgeon revealed that from experience, he had found that teenagers start consuming them from of classes VII and XIII, and in four to five years, the effect of it sets in. He found that women were more susceptible to the effects of cancer with 12 out of 20 of his patients suffering from gutka-related problems. He shared that these problems caused by this form of tobacco were usually ignored by the people until it becomes painful and usually by then it is too late for surgical intervention.
With such a huge market, the sellers are obviously driven by a strong profit motive which is not likely to be stopped by any amount of banning. However, despite several banning by organizations, students’ unions etc, the fact that these substances are sold openly and in plenty is a matter of consternation. This brings into question the very authority of the institutions imposing these bans, which binds the people to a cause it does not care to carry off. It may be time for these institutions, through their own experience, to realize that banning is not the solution, but educating and creating public awareness on the health consequences caused by gutka is where the answer lies. They may just succeed in achieving a response that has eluded them so far.
Morung Express News
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