If you live in India you probably know what I am talking about. For those who don’t know I am specifically speaking about chewing tobacco. In India its called gutka or khaini and it comes in various forms. The habit in my opinion is worse than cigarettes. In the West tobacco chewing has nearly been eradicated but here its still an ongoing trend with new recruits joining in every year. The issue with tobacco chewing begins with the serious health concerns. It causes diseases like mouth ulcers, severe oral health problems and over long term use it most definitely causes cancer. In addition to that it is a serious medical hygiene issue. People who chew tobacco have a habit of spitting out excess saliva. In India you will  find red stains in several public spaces which is disgusting to say the least. Its not feasible to install spitoons everywhere and there is nothing to control people from spitting. The colour red is caused by a mixture of tobacco, limestone and other powders. These powders when consumed give you a serious head rush but it is only temporary.

There is severe environmental impact because if the plastic packaging. There is severe public health concern because people are spitting left right and center. There is no real benefit other than literally passing the time. One more reason is that Nicotine which is the chemical present in tobacco is a highly addictive substance, second only to Heroin. Consumption of tobacco is never pleasant its either smoked or chewed and its not healthy.

Sincerely speaking I don’t think education is going to stop tobacco use. It is a pandemic and specifically in India it is a severe issue. People are not concerned about health. There are several social constraints when it comes to using tobacco. People think they look cool when they smoke. Some people think chewing or smoking tobacco takes the edge off when under stress. Some people use it as a tool to make social connections. Others will simply call me out and tell me to mind my business.

Fact is that the use of tobacco is harmful to health in any capacity not only to the users but also to the ones in their immediate vicinity. What needs to be done is that it needs to be banned completely regardless of what people have to say about it. If there are other uses in medicine then strictly regulated licenses need to be given out. This is coming from someone who used to smoke a lot at one point (2-3 packs a day). I quit smoking completely 6 years ago. Its not easy but its possible. Health is wealth.

If I could go back in time I would stop the use of tobacco as a recreational substance. Period.