Oral cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers in India, which sees 5.6 million cancer deaths every year. A cheap and widely available chewing tobacco product, gutka, has some 5 million children addicted to it. The government of one state in India has woken up to its ill-effects, and, in a drastic step, it has banned sale of all chewing tobacco products.
I have an article published on the Economist's Asia blog, Banyan, discussing this.
References for the article:
I have an article published on the Economist's Asia blog, Banyan, discussing this.
References for the article:
- Most cancer patients in India die without medical attention: study, Down to Earth, March 29, 2012
- Madhya Pradesh bans gutkha and other chewing tobacco products, Down to Earth, April 3, 2012
- SC bans plastic gutka sachets from March 1, Times of India, December 8, 2010
- Global Adult Tobacco Survey: India, World Health Organization, October 19, 2010
- Gutka still sold in plastic sachets, The Hindu, March 13, 2011
- 2011 Census Data: Madhya Pradesh, Government of India
