Gandhi Jayanti: Rajasthan bans Tobacco, Pan Masala to curb addiction among youth

Jaipur, Oct 03: The Rajasthan government has banned certain categories of Pan Masala and even the flavoured supaari on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

Paan masala containing magnesium carbonate, nicotine, tobacco, will now be banned in the State under the Food Safety Act.

State medical and health minister Raghu Sharma, making the announcement said that this is an important decision taken to curb addiction among youth.

"Production, storage, distribution and sale of these products will not be allowed in the State," he added.

With this, Rajasthan has become the third state after Maharashtra and Bihar to announce such a move, a press release from the government said.

It may be noted that in May, the Rajasthan government had banned e-cigarettes and hookah-bars
in the state.

In India, the incidence of cancer is increasing rapidly and chewing tobacco is majorly blamed for mouth cancer in the country.

"Tobacco can cause various types of cancer like mouth, lung, throat, bladder, kidney, stomach, colon and many other organs of the body can be affected," according to Cancer Society of India