Madhya Pradesh bans tobacco-mixed 'gutka'

The first day of the new financial year has seen a ban on the sale of
tobacco-mixed gutka in Madhya Pradesh. Health Minister Narottam Mishra
had said in the assembly some days ago that the licenses of seven
gutka companies in the state have been cancelled.

And to control the increasing number of mouth cancer patients, the
state government has decided to ban tobacco-mixed gutka pouches, he
had announced. A penalty of up to Rs.25,000 would be imposed on
anyone selling tobacco-mixed gutka. However, there would be no ban on
the sale of plain gutka.

Tobacco usage has led to an increased number of cancer cases. Squamous
cell cancer, a type of esophageal cancer, is on rise in India as more
people are getting addicted to tobacco, a leading cancer specialist
said Thursday. "Squamous cell cancer – which is one of the types of
esophageal cancer – is rising in India. The main cause of this type of
carcinoma is tobacco smoking and heavy alcohol. In India smoking and
tobacco usage is at a peak so the cases of squamous carcinoma are also
rising," said US-based cancer specialist Tom Ryan DeMeester. The
chairman of surgery department in Southern Carolina University said
Adenocarcinoma – which occurs at the glandular cells present at the
junction of the esophagus and stomach – is very common in the US. In
fact, 90 percent of the cancer cases in the US are diagnosed as
adenocarcinoma.