NEW DELHI: The Western India state of Gujarat announced it was banning gutka, a common tobacco product chewed by users. The ban will go into affect September 11. Gujarat, already a dry province where alcohol is barred from being sold, was making the move following reports that youth in the state are becoming addicted to the substance in large numbers. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said this week that a comprehensive ban on gutka follows in the footsteps of states including Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and Maharashtra, which have already banned the product. “I have to save Gujarat youths from the dreaded evil of cancer and that's why a decision to impose a complete ban on gutka has been taken,” Modi said in his Independence Day speech. “The practice of chewing gutka should not be encouraged. If calculated in monetary terms, gutka consumption is more expensive than eating almonds,” Modi said. Starting September 11, the production, storage, sale and distribution of gutka will be banned throughout the state, a state official said.
