Gutka street vendor, India

Gutka (also spelled gutkha, guttkha, guthka) is a preparation of crushed betel nut, tobacco, and sweet or savory flavorings. It is manufactured in India and exported to a few other countries. A mild stimulant, it is sold across India in small, individual-size packets that cost between 1 and 4 rupees apiece. It is consumed much like chewing tobacco, and like chewing tobacco it is considered responsible for oral cancer and other severe negative health effects. Image File history File links Gutka_vendor_in_India. ... Image File history File links Gutka_vendor_in_India. ... Binomial name Areca catechu Linnaeus Areca nut, or pinang, more commonly known as betel nut, is the seed of the betel palm or Areca catechu, a species of palm tree which grows throughout the Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. ... Species Nicotiana acuminata Nicotiana alata Nicotiana attenuata Nicotiana benthamiana Nicotiana clevelandii Nicotiana excelsior Nicotiana forgetiana Nicotiana glauca Nicotiana glutinosa Nicotiana langsdorffii Nicotiana longiflora Nicotiana obtusifolia Nicotiana paniculata Nicotiana plumbagifolia Nicotiana quadrivalvis Nicotiana repanda Nicotiana rustica Nicotianasuaveolens Nicotiana sylvestris Nicotiana tabacum Nicotiana tomentosa Ref: ITIS 30562 as of August 26, 2005... Chewing tobacco is a smokeless tobacco product. ... Oral cancer is any cancerous tissue growth located in the mouth. ...

Used by millions of adults, it is also marketed to children. Some packaging does not mention tobacco as an ingredient, and some brands are pitched as candies - featuring packaging with children's faces and are brightly colored. Some are chocolate-flavored, and some are marketed as breath fresheners.[1]

The gutka, a powdery, granular white substance, is placed between the bottom lip and the gum, or under the tongue. Within moments, the gutka begins to dissolve and turn deep red in color. It imparts upon its user a "buzz" somewhat more intense than that of tobacco.

Highly addictive and a known carcinogen, gutka is currently the subject of much controversy in India. Many states have sought to curb its immense popularity by taxing sales of gutka heavily or by banning it outright. Drug addiction, or dependency is the compulsive use of drugs, to the point where the user has no effective choice but to continue use. ... In pathology, a carcinogen is any substance or agent that promotes cancer. ...

Gutka use can begin at a very young age. Due to its often sweet taste, easy availability and cheapness, it is popular with poor children, who can exhibit precancerous lesions at a very early age as a result. Some children consider it as a type of candy. Symptoms of cancer often appear by high school or college age. Social custom does not permit children in India to smoke cigarettes, so gutka use, being all but invisible to others, is the method of choice. A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted rules, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom. ... A lit cigarette will burn to ash on one end. ...

After it is consumed, it is generally spat onto a wall or the ground, causing an unsightly red stain that is quite resistant to the elements. Some building owners have taken to combating this unpleasantness by painting murals of gods on their walls, with the idea that gutkha-chewers would not spit on a god.

On 1 August 2002, Maharashtra State took the unusual step of placing a five year ban on all use of gutka (as a potentially hazardous foodstuff), an active black market persisted till the time the High Court of Judicature at Mumbai overturned the order on the grounds of unfair trade practice. August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... Maharashtra (महाराष्ट्र) is a state in west-central India. ... The or underground market is the part of economic activity involving illegal dealings, typically the buying and selling of merchandise or services (for example sexual services in many countries) illegally. ... MumbaÄ« (Marathi: मुंबई, IPA: ), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006)[1]. Mumbai is located on the west coast of Maharashtra. ...

Sources

• Sweet but Deadly Addiction is Seizing the Young in India, The New York Times, 13 August 2002
• Chewing tobacco cancer warning, BBC News, July 26, 1999
• Health: Children Buy Cancerous Sweets, BBC News, March 3, 1999

The New York Times is a newspaper published in New York City by Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... July 26 is the 207th day (208th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 158 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Old Farts by the Sometimes-United Nations. ...

Activist links

• Anti Gutkha Campaign, Cancer Patients Aid Association