KUWAIT, Jul 12 (Kuwait Times): The sale of paan and gutkha, popular but highly addictive tobacco-like substances known to South and East Asians, is thriving in Kuwait. Shop owners who sell the substances claim it is legally permitted to do so. However, in the words of a municipality official, its sale is banned in Kuwait. No reasons were provided as to why the ban has been imposed. The fear of staining the country's street corners in red has been pointed out as one. Chewing gutkha and paan produces deep red sputum that is spat out anywhere. The World Health Organization(WHO) has classified the product as being harmful to one's health, and has also been identified as a major oral cancer causing agent.

In a recent interview held with Kuwait's Municipality officials, they asserted that those caught making, selling or chewing paan would not be tolerated at all, "People caught selling or making paan will face stiff penalties," the official was quoted as saying to the Kuwait Times. Purchasing gutkha and paan is not an easy task for someone who does not hail from the subcontinent. Most of the gutkhas and paan products are hidden in baqalas (grocery stores) and sale is mostly confined to regular customers.

A Kuwait Times investigation revealed that buying gutkha and paan is not a difficult task. A baqala owner in Kuwait City denied stocking gutkha and paan when the newspaper inquired about sales. However, a colleague posing as a customer(from a South Asian country) approached the baqala owner, he immediately provided the banned substance. It was also learnt that in a nearby baqala, gutkha and paan have been selling like hotcakes. Within a span of fifteen minutes, the reporters could account for a little more than KD 3 in total sales for both guthka and paan. The minimum cost per sachet of gutkha or paan is 100 fils.

In another baqala located in Kuwait City, covert paan-buying is a thriving activity. Paan can be ordered as per the customer's requirement. It can be acquired in either strong or light flavors. The ingredients come from real tobacco and feature betel nut, sweet or spicy ingredients. When asked if they were aware of an existing ban, the two baqala owners claimed otherwise, "No, there is no ban in place. This is not like selling drug or alcohol. This is just like selling ordinary cigarettes. The user spittin
g the red liquid on the streets is banned," the baqala owner argued. "But we usually tell our customers to follow the rules of Kuwait carefully, and spit at proper places," he added.

Paan and gutkha are imported from the Indian subcontinent. Except for gutkha, betel leaves and betel nuts, the other ingredients are commonly found in the form of spices that are widely used in the Kuwaiti homes. Betel leaves and nuts can be easily smuggled and have the appearance of a green leafy vegetable. A police-officer who spoke to the Kuwait Times on condition of anonymity concurred with the baqala owner's statement. He said that it is unlawful to spit out the red liquid in public spaces. "I think the law stipulates that," he said.

Some facts about Paan

Paan can be made by first washing the betel leaf and drying it with a cloth. Spices like cardamom, grated coconut, lime paste and various other spices and a sugary mixture are filled in. The paan is rolled into a perfect petal shape and kept fresh by piercing pods of cloves into the. They are later stored in ice or rose petals. The most popular varieties are 'Meetha paan'(Sweet paan), 'Tambaku paan' (Tobacco paan), and 'Trento' (Olarno paan). The Trento tastes like betel nut but with a hint of a minty fla
vor. It is mostly chewed after a good hearty meal. Research has shown that using smokeless tobacco raises the risk of developing mouth cancer and oesophageal (food pipe) cancer.