Menace of gutka

The illegal manufacturing and sale of different forms of chewing tobacco has an adverse effect on health

The illegal manufacturing and sale of different forms of chewing tobacco such as gutka and mainpuri has been adversely affecting the health of teens and young adults, who easily get hooked on it. Research suggests that nearly 4,200 chemical constituents are included in its formulation, making it a toxic and carcinogenic agent that causes a host of debilitating health issues such as mouth ulcers, mouth cancer and facial distortion. The widespread use and addiction of it has now been labelled as a life-threatening disorder with serious health consequences.

Civil society organisations are constantly working around the clock to break the dependency on tobacco. An NGO had recently filed a petition in the Sindh High Court stating that despite the court’s directives the police had failed to curb the menace of gutka. The petitioner has also done the needful and recommended that the police submit an intelligence report on the number of factories currently operating. This is indeed the modus operandi the police need to follow in order to crackdown against such illegal practices. That being said, one should expect staunch resistance from the unscrupulous mafia as the illegal business has mushroomed into a million-dollar informal industry that hosts thousands of workers. This is why, despite the promulgation of laws and the registration of thousands of FIRs, no action has been taken. Instead, the business is thriving more than ever because economic distress has caused the addiction rate to surge even higher.

The only way to deal with this is by using brute force. After thorough research and identification, the police must carry out raids to arrest culprits, confiscate raw materials and shut down factories for good. Holding people accountable in court and naming and shaming them in public might also work as a suitable deterrent.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2023.

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