Click here to watch the full video
"They were cut off their tongues, their gums cut off, their faces torn apart by vicious surgical scars,
The bad news of cancer announces their deaths... They used to be betel nut obsessives,
It was the black fruit that led them into the abyss of the disease. ”
---- "The Face Cutter" in the Betel Nut Kingdom
In 2013, an article titled "The Face Cutter in the Betel Nut Kingdom" came out and caused a sensation on the Internet.
Along with the article is also well known the lives of 60 million betel nut addicts in China who have been regurgitated.
Suddenly, people began to re-examine the addictive "soft drug" of betel nut.
In 2019, the Hunan Betel Nut Association issued the Notice on Stopping Advertising and Publicity.
All betel nut-related enterprises are required to stop advertising campaigns nationwide.
But just two years later, the betel nut advertisement once again returned to the soul,
And this time it is eyeing the popular talk show "Spit Conference" on the whole network.
A class of carcinogens is sold as an ordinary snack, and it has been denounced again and again but revived again and again.
What kind of secrets are hidden behind the betel nut industry. Today we're going to talk about this story.
● Black Magic Fruit
Betel nut, is the fruit of the palm family plant betel nut tree,
Originated in the tropical rainforest of Malaysia,
Today, it is mainly distributed in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Asia.
China, Myanmar, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and other countries.
And India is currently the world's largest producer of betel nut,
Production accounts for half of the world's total betel nut production.
The earliest records of betel nut date back to around 900 BC.
That is more than 3,000 years ago.
The ancient Indian poet Marco described in his poem the scene of soldiers drinking coconut water and chewing betel nuts.
Around the time of the Western Han Dynasty, betel nut was introduced to China,
At that time, betel nut was also a tribute from local officials to the imperial court.
The Western Han Dynasty writer Sima Xiangru's Shanglin Fu records: "Leave Xu Yu, Ren Pin and Lu".
Renpin refers to the betel nut tree.
Later, the Great Western Jin Dynasty writer Zuo Si wrote in his book Wu Dufu
It is written that "betel nut has no ke, coconut leaves have no shade", which is his description of the appearance characteristics of betel nut,
Since then, the word "betel nut" has spread in China.
Instead of the previous aliases such as "Renpin", "Binmen", "Washing Miasma", "Big Belly" and so on.
By the Song Dynasty, the Lingnan people chewed the betel nut wind, which had reached its peak,
Su Shi once wrote: The red tide on the cheeks increases the charm, who knows that Nong is a drunken betel nut".
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the literati's love for betel nut also increased unabated.
During the Kangxi Dynasty, Shangshu Wang Shichen zhēn once told it in verse
He waited for the palace gate to open in front of him, and sat in a palanquin to eat betel nut to pass the time.
It is not difficult to see from this that at that time, the Qing Dynasty regardless of the royal family and nobles, the court officials
Or the city nobles have the habit of carrying and often eating betel nuts.
Tending to the fire, listening to the drums should be busy? When you reach the front door, you will sit in the middle of the car and eat betel nut.
--- Wang Shichen
As we all know, today Hainan is the largest producer of betel nut in China.
Hunan is the largest consumer. The origin of Hunan people chewing betel nut,
I am afraid that we have to go back to the plague that everyone talked about in ancient times.
It is recorded in the Xiangtan County Chronicle, Volume 34: According to legend, in the forty-fourth year of the Qianlong Dynasty,
That is, in 1779, a large-scale plague appeared in Xiangtan County.
The inhabitants are suffering from a bulging bloating disease that is as big as a drum in the abdomen.
At that time, the county ordered patients to chew the medicinal betel nut, and the swelling quickly disappeared.
Since then, betel nut has become a unique hobby of Xiangtan people.
Sick or not, I like to chew some betel nut.
Xiangtan still has a folk proverb: Don't dare to be a New Year's greeting, go into the house and eat betel nut. ”
"Guests come to my house and take a sip of betel nut and a cup of tea."
Xiangtan County Chronicle, Volume 34:
Legend has it that in the forty-fourth year of the Qianlong Dynasty (1779), there was a severe epidemic in the county, and the residents suffered from bloating disease.
The county ordered Bai Jing to ask the patient to chew the medicinal betel nut, and the swelling soon disappeared.
After that, the original patient often chewed, the non-patient also chewed, over time,
Betel nut has become a unique hobby of the county people and has become an indispensable food for welcome hospitality.
In fact, betel nut is indeed a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history.
It can deworm, rupture, treat abdominal distension, indigestion and other symptoms.
Some people may say, so it seems that betel nut is not so useless, right?
The medicinal value of betel nut is undeniable, but we also need to understand one thing.
If it is a medicine, it must have the appearance of a medicine.
Opioids are also used as analgesics in medicine, and asymptomatic drugs are poisons.
● Face cutter
In February 2019, the oncology department of a hospital in Xiangtan City,
The 49-year-old Jing Sijun was so weak that he was lying in a hospital bed, and he had just escaped death.
Standing on the side was his wife He Changhong, who was already physically and mentally exhausted.
Jing Sijun's jaw was wrapped in layers of gauze,
Under the gauze is a trachea that has been torn apart but has to be cut.
And this is already his second surgery.
During the first surgery, part of his soft palate and two-thirds of his tongue were removed.
Since then, the dignity in life has no longer been related to the quality of life and the respect for the army.
But compared to his hometown Liu Sangguo, Jing Sijun may still be lucky.
Liu Sangguo is one of the protagonists of the article "The Face Cutter in the Betel Nut Kingdom".
During the first oral cancer surgery, most of his left side of his face had been "cut off."
The shrunken skin sank into a deep pit the size of a fist.
After the operation, the nerve in his left eye was compressed and he soon became completely blind.
In July 2013, before being interviewed, he was diagnosed with a recurrence of cancer.
The cancer has metastasized to the lungs and brain.
Liu Sangguo's wife, Donna, showed reporters old photos of Liu Sangguo from a few years ago.
In the photo, Liu Sangguo's skin is dark and strong.
A while ago, Liu Sangguo went to the bank to run an office, and the salesman looked at his ID card photo and did not believe that it was himself.
Donna said emotionally that all this was betel nut!
But at the same time, it is very helpless, because in Xiangtan, "betel nut social" is everywhere.
When acquaintances meet and say hello, the first thing they do is to take out the betel nut.
While talking about not seeing each other for a long time, he took the betel nut from his pocket and handed it over.
Donna has relatives who work in government departments, and there are endless betel nuts sent by others all year round.
The most incredible thing is that in the cabinet next to Liu Sangguo's hospital bed,
Betel nuts are also often prepared, which are specially used to entertain relatives and friends who visit him in the hospital.
Therefore, a very magical picture was produced: Liu Sangguo's relatives and friends,
While chewing on the betel nut, I sighed that the harm of the betel nut was too great.
There are also mahjong halls in the streets and alleys of Xiangtan, and the bosses rely on betel nuts to attract business.
Whoever doesn't have betel nuts, the business is certainly not much better.
Even two- or three-year-olds chew betel nuts. In the mahjong hall, Donna saw it more than once,
When a child eats betel nut, the adult will tear off a small bite, or directly put the whole into the child's mouth.
As long as you don't argue about playing cards, you can do anything.
In this way, in Xiangtan, up to seven old and eighty, down to young children,
More and more people are becoming betel nut "addicts", less than one or two packs a day, more than a dozen packs.
Scary blood stains can often be seen on the street, which is actually a betel nut chewer,
The juice that is spit out, together with the shell powder and the Lóu leaves, chews together, and the betel nut juice changes color.
Damn, this kind of betel nut juice is still difficult to remove, just like urban psoriasis.
Jing Sijun and Liu Sangguo initially thought that they just had mouth ulcers, and the ulcers always occurred in the same place.
Injections and medicines have not been seen for many days. But these did not attract their attention,
In their view, this is the normal price to pay for chewing betel nut.
However, the subsequent diagnosis results were like thunderbolts on a sunny day,
What followed was a terrible encounter of cutting off the face or tongue.
Oral cancer is different from other cancers, where do cancer cells invade,
Wherever the facial tissue is removed, it will be completely removed. Patients face disfigurement without exception.
Zhu Ze, a Changsha resident, chose to commit suicide after being advised by doctors to remove part of his tongue and throat.
Even if the operation is successful, the risk of postoperative recurrence always threatens these patients.
"Ten mouth cancers, nine betel nut chewing" is true.
In a cancer hospital, the list of more than 20 oral cancer patients,
Multiple numbers have become empty numbers, and their fate is unknown.
The 2013 report set Liu Sangguo on fire, but his life also came to an end.
"If life can be repeated, I will never eat betel nuts" This is Liu Sangguo's last words.
There is a widely spread saying in Hunan: betel nut plus smoke, mana is boundless.
Betel nut sparkling wine, immortal. I want to say,
This saying should be added: eat a few more years, the grave smokes!
● Betel nut addiction
Someone said, "The first time you eat betel nut, you will fall in love with this feeling of excitement." ”
But in fact, more first-timers do not like the taste of betel nut at first.
After taking a bite and chewing on it for a few minutes, I soon felt the sky spinning and my chest tightness.
My heart beat faster, my throat seemed to be stuck, I couldn't even breathe, it was very uncomfortable.
At this time, if you want to spit out the betel nut, you will listen to the person next to you laughing and saying, just get used to it.
Slowly, the body begins to feel hot, excited, and flushed with the face.
So, I began to be encouraged to eat a second and third time..... One down,
Can't sleep at night, don't doze off during the day, can be called a tool to stay up late.
Soon your body will be immersed in the orgasm and excitement of this black magic fruit,
Then you're addicted.
Betel nut contains a variety of alkaloids, of which betel nut base and betel nut base are the most important ingredients.
These two substances can stimulate the secretion of adrenocortical hormones,
Excessive secretion of adrenocortical hormones will cause the pituitary gland to release more adrenotropic hormones.
Simply put, it will make people excited and at the same time develop tolerance.
Therefore, many people feel that chewing betel nut is like drinking a bottle of two pots, which makes people flutter.
In addition, betel nut in the process of processing, will use a variety of artificial additives,
One of the most common is ephedra. There are even some unscrupulous merchants,
In order to earn more repeat customers, ephedrine is used directly.
What is ephedrine believeS not need me to say more about it.
It also produces strong stimulation to our central nervous system,
Frequent use, it is very easy to generate dependencies.
The above two points are roughly the basic causes of betel nut addiction.
While chewing betel nut produces a sense of excitement and pleasure, how can people realize that
This little black fruit is enslaving our bodies step by step,
Take us into the abyss.
By the time the body sounded the alarm and found that the pain caused by the betel nut was greater than the pleasure, it was already too late.
● Betel nut causes cancer
Betel nut contains betel nut and betel nut sub-base, in the process of chewing,
Nitrosylation can occur, producing nitrosoamines, a recognized carcinogen.
Secondly, earth stove smoking is the most traditional way of making betel nuts.
This approach will cause the arsenic Shēn in the finished betel nut to exceed the standard.
What is arsenic not to know? Arsenic has always heard of it, right? Arsenic is the main ingredient in arsenic.
In addition, the crude fiber of betel nut, in the process of chewing,
Local damage to the oral mucosa will be caused by friction, and under long-term stimulation,
Failure to heal can lead to oral submucosal fibrosis (OFS).
Oral submucosal fibrosis is a precancerous disease that can directly turn into oral cancer.
As early as 1992, there were studies that found that
Long-term chewing of betel nut can cause cancer cells to concentrate on the mouth and cheek areas,
Red or white lesions appear, followed by tumors, and then the entire face rots.
In 2003, the Who International Centre for Research on Cancer (IARC) put betel nut and tobacco and alcohol,
Arsenic is classified as a First Class carcinogen.
In addition to oral manifestations, the harmful substances in betel nut are absorbed by the body
, may also cause liver, esophageal, stomach, lung and cervical cancer.
For pregnant women, long-term consumption of betel nuts can also lead to small births and even dead babies.
Professor Zhai Xinchun of the Department of Stomatology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University,
For many years, he has been studying the association of betel nut with oral diseases.
He said in an interview: Chewing betel nut leads to submucosal fibrous lesions in the oral cavity and,
Then the carcinogenic mechanism that causes oral cancer is clear,
This has reached a consensus in the international medical community, but it has not received enough attention in China.
Public data shows that in 2011, more than 8 million people in Hunan Province alone had the habit of chewing betel nuts.
Tens of millions of people have tried betel nut, and that number may have doubled several times today.
According to statistics, nationwide, betel nut addicts have exceeded 60 million.
Some people will say that people who eat betel nut are everywhere,
And oral cancer patients are so many people every year, it will definitely not be my turn!
But you know, even if it's not cancer,
The casual side effects of chewing betel nut can take a 360-degree toll on your quality of life.
Betel nuts are disfigured if they are light, and cut off faces when they are heavy.
In Hunan, locals can see at a glance who loves betel nut.
Because people who love betel nuts have surprisingly similar faces:
Engage in bulging temples and cheeks, as well as blackened teeth.
Long-term chewing of betel nut, will make the masseter muscles extra developed, many young boys and girls,
It is because I have loved to eat betel nut since I was a child, and when I eat it, I will grow disabled,
The original delicate melon seed face, hard to chew betel nut chewed into an atmospheric Chinese character face,
When I looked at it, I thought I had seen some kind of special effect.
Ugly are considered lucky, the juice chewed out of the betel nut will stain the teeth black, not to mention,
The coarse fibers of the betel nut will also smooth the grooves and grind them so badly that only the root of the tooth remains.
Any little irritation is painful, spicy, sour, sweet, ice can not eat,
The sense of taste will also slowly decrease, and there is no taste in eating anything,
In the end, you can only eat more betel nut to stimulate the taste.
If you don't brake in time at this time, the next step is submucosal fibrosis.
The original pink and tender mucous membrane became pale and hard, causing the mouth to not open,
You can't whistle, you can't blow candles, you can't speak clearly, you can't eat, you can't even drink water.
In 2015, a piece of news was on Weibo's hot search.
Xie, a man in Guangzhou, absconded after committing murder in 2002.
After that, under the pressure of fleeing day by day, Xie relied on eating betel nut to relieve his worries.
Unexpectedly, while eating, the face shape changed, and the mouth became a "cherry bite".
Relying on the strongest plastic surgery in history, Xie Mou fabricated his identity,
He managed to escape police arrest for 13 years and was not accidentally arrested until 2015.
There is also the king of Henan earth flavor internet red giao brother,
In a live broadcast in 2021, he revealed that he was due to the large consumption of betel nut,
It is difficult to open one's mouth now.
In the live broadcast, the audience can clearly see when Brother Giao drinks water,
You can only open your mouth slightly by a slit, and then pour water through the gap.
● The Land of Disappearance
If the betel nut itself is like a cancer cell,
What are the consequences of endless spread across the country?
I suggest you refer to an island nation near Australia, Papua New Guinea.
According to the BBC, of the country's total population of 8.9 million,
Half of the population chews betel nut regularly, even small children.
Because of this, this country has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the world,
More than 25,000 people die of oral cancer each year.
Oral cancer is also the country's biggest lethal disease.
At the same time, because people spit betel nut shells everywhere, the virus is also more likely to spread.
The death rate from tuberculosis that causes the country is also one of the highest in the world.
As for gum disease, oral ulceration, tooth discoloration, gastritis, it is more common in the country.
Local doctor Yvonne Sapuri Sapuri said,
The actual number of oral cancers here is certainly higher than reported.
Because betel nut, half the country, is slowly disappearing.
There were also local officials in Papua New Guinea who tried to ban betel nuts, but because the scope was too wide, they all ended in failure.
At present, many of the world's large countries and regions that consume betel nut have begun to act.
In the United States, the transportation of betel nuts between states has been strictly prohibited since 1976.
In Canada, Australia and other countries, betel nut products are directly prohibited from being sold.
In Taiwan, the local health department will directly tell consumers,
Betel nut can be carcinogenic, and even betel nuts that do not contain any additives can cause cancer.
Every year on December 3rd is Taiwan's Betel Nut Control Day. Even In India,
It is also now also required that betel nut products must be like cigarettes, with labels warning of harm.
However, in the Chinese mainland, there is no standard for the production and sale of betel nut,
The packaging also did not warn. It just lay quietly on the shelf,
Sold with regular snacks.
On the one hand, various health risks represented by oral cancer,
On one side is the "100 billion betel nut empire" that has grown wildly.
In the face of hundreds of billions of output value, what is health?
● Hundreds of billions of capital empires
In 2013, shortly after the article "The Face Cutter in the Betel Nut Kingdom" caused a hot discussion,
CCTV also made a special report on it, pointing out the truth about the carcinogenicity of betel nut.
Stir this topic even more fiercely.
Subsequently, many betel nut companies and farmers felt the pressure from the market, and the price of betel nut plummeted.
At this moment, what people never expected was that
CCTV Economic Channel actually produced a program entitled "Investigation of the Plummeting Price of Betel Nut".
Stand up and refute the rumors: Betel nut causes cancer, there is no evidence.
After 8 years, looking at this news report now, it still makes people feel angry.
● Betel nut price plunge survey 1
In the report, experts have been stressing that there is no problem with the composition of betel nut,
The content of the carcinogen betel nut is only less than 0.5%, and a small amount of consumption is simply not enough to cause cancer.
Some people say that talking about toxicity aside from the dose is playing hooliganism. But I want to ask,
People who eat betel nut, a few only occasionally chew, two or three packs a day,
Or even a dozen packs, is it an occasional chew? Eating it for a long time like this will not cause cancer?
Experts, please touch your conscience.
The report also refuted the 2003 year,
The WHO International Centre for Research on Cancer (IARC) lists betel nut as a Class I carcinogen.
It is said that betel nut itself is not carcinogenic, and together with smoke, it will cause cancer.
● Betel nut price plunge survey 2
But the truth is, as early as 1993,
Some scholars have made special targets in India, a large consumer of betel nut
Research on betel nut, cigarettes and oral cancer.
The results of the study clearly indicate that whether it is with tobacco or chewing betel nut alone,
There is a high risk of oral squamous cell carcinoma, but tobacco raises this risk.
The most speechless thing is that the experts even said,
Not a single case of oral cancer associated with betel nut has been found in Xiangtan.
● Betel nut price plunge survey 3
But in fact, an article published in the Chinese Journal of Dental Research in 2017 was titled
The paper "Predicting the Number of Oral Cancers Induced by Betel Nuts in China and the Medical Burden" points out that
Changsha City includes Xiangya Hospital, Xiangya Second Hospital, Hunan Provincial Cancer Hospital, etc
5 large general hospitals, starting in 2005 and ending in 2016,
Oral cancer cases are showing a rapidly increasing trend. The cumulative number of patients in 10 years was 11,882,
Among them, as many as 8222 cases induced by betel nut, accounting for 69%, are shocking.
Some people say 8222 cases, it doesn't sound high? But friends,
This is only the data of 5 hospitals, and this is not a cold and fever.
It's cancer. The paper further predicts that by 2030, only Changsha,
The incidence of oral cancer may exceed 100,000 cases, and Hunan Province will exceed 300,000 cases.
Generate more than 64 billion yuan of medical burden. So look at the whole country,
How many people will be recruited? Conservative estimate of 1 million people! The cost of medical treatment will exceed 200 billion yuan!
● Thesis
This is a fresh human life, will betel nut entrepreneurs care? Of course not!
Since the official "rumor-busting" of CCTV Financial Channel,
Countless betel nut companies seem to have found a cardiotonic agent, and advertising is more unscrupulous.
And the article "The Face Cutter in the Betel Nut Kingdom" was soon 404 on the Internet.
Professor Zhai Xinchun of the Department of Stomatology of Xiangya Hospital, as one of the first whistleblowers in China that "betel nut causes cancer",
In 2014, he was physically threatened with 800,000 yuan to buy the head of Professor Zhai.
"Threatening to seal" is no secret in Hunan stomatology circles.
In order to whitewash the name of "soft drugs", the major betel nut manufacturers racked their brains,
Did a series of things carved on the. Some of the packaging is printed with "chewy no wound",
Some are labeled "Healthy Betel Nut".
What makes people cry and laugh is that in recent years,
In order to fit the health trend, some merchants have even launched a health betel nut,
For example, "betel nut", "ginseng betel nut", "xylitol betel nut".
A sentence of "betel nut has goji berries is better" not only easily makes the first-class carcinogen into a health product,
It also gives those who chew betel nut a kind of psychological comfort, as if paired with goji berries,
The harm of betel nut can be hedged in the same way. You know, no matter how exquisite the flower carving, the is still a piece of.
According to a 2017 report by Xiangtan Daily, Xiangtan has a permanent population of about 2.8 million.
Among them, there are 300,000 people engaged in betel nut production.
The annual output has been maintained at the level of more than 200,000 tons, and the annual output value has exceeded 20 billion.
In the same year, the Xiangtan government issued a letter on the Opinions on Supporting the Development of the Betel Nut Industry.
A small goal was set to achieve betel nut sales revenue of 30 billion yuan in three years and 50 billion yuan in five years.
In 2018, at the Boao Economic Forum for Asia,
The then president of a well-known betel nut brand that dominated the betel nut market said:
At present, the betel nut industry is still in a period of rapid development, with an average annual growth rate of more than 30%.
In the future, this industry will at least reach the market capacity of 100 billion yuan.
A pound of betel nut raw fruit costs more than 20 yuan, you can make more than a dozen packs of betel nut products.
The wholesale price of a pack is about 40 yuan, and the dealer can sell it for 60 yuan.
Only one or two million start-up capital is needed,
It is possible to open a betel nut factory with a monthly output of thousands of kilograms.
With the advent of new flavors, the price of betel nuts is also rising.
Last year, a well-known betel nut brand launched a series of high-end gift box products.
A piece of betel nut costs 800 yuan, which is simply jaw-dropping.
The British political commentator Thomas Joseph Denning once said:
If there is 300% profit, capital dares to trample on all human laws.
In order to let consumers get through the discomfort of just eating betel nut as soon as possible,
Merchants do whatever it takes.
One betel nut dealer said his approach to marketing was simple.
First let consumers taste for free, slowly addicted, after sending a six or seven packs,
Consumers can't run and become regular customers.
This strategy is really chilling.
Isn't this a logic with drug trafficking? First free to make you addicted,
Then you can't leave, you can't run.
There is also the "sales magic weapon" that prevails in the betel nut world: another package.
I believe that many people have seen such a news, a man spent 15 yuan to buy betel nut,
Unexpectedly, even in 11 packs, the last man was embarrassed to claim the prize.
This kind of pleasure of winning the lottery makes many people irresistible, and after changing back,
It was a pity not to eat it, and gradually I became obsessed with this taste.
Everything is so natural.
Coupled with young people's love of socializing, once addicted, it means a decades-long consumption curve
At the same time, helping manufacturers to open up the market in interpersonal communication is the same as smoking.
But tobacco can also print a harmful health on the packaging, but what about betel nut?
On the one hand are the mouth cancer patients in the cancer hospital full of chagrin and regret,
On one side is a betel nut advertisement full of streets.
Whether you are an elderly person at home or a student, you can't escape the audiovisual baptism of betel nut.
On the bus, in the subway station, and at the 2018 Lantern Festival of Hunan Satellite TV,
The host broadcast a betel nut advertisement and directly praised: All at once you will be refreshed and rejuvenated.
In 2019, there was a paper ban to let betel nut ads go all the way off the shelves.
But betel nut companies quickly shifted their positions.
Don't let me advertise on TV, I will go to the short video platform, look for web dramas, look for variety shows.
When chasing the drama, Zhang Yixing chewed betel nut in the black storm too handsome, do you want to come to one?
Looking at the Yunnan Worm Valley, the advertising word said awkwardly: What is this? Betel nut, refreshing.
Watching the variety show, the fourth season of "This is Street Dance", two contestants showed street dance on the spot,
Compete for a bag of betel nuts. One of them won, took it apart on the spot and chewed it up,
Say it's fried, and prepare a little more next time.
Li Shi also once said unabashedly in the show that it was Wang Han who taught him to eat betel nut.
In 2021, the new season of the spit conference was angrily scolded by netizens for receiving betel nut advertisements as "no bottom line".
In the show, betel nut is placed in the most prominent position.
Not only advertising, but also advocating the health of goji betel nuts.
Wang Jianguo said unashamedly that it was indeed better to have goji berries.
Such overwhelming publicity will make many people mistakenly think
"Little betel nut, what is so mysterious?" As long as it is on the market, it means that there is no problem.
"It turned out to be another victim. The huge economic profits behind the betel nut industry,
Let businesses, the media, and even governments turn a blind eye.
To borrow a famous saying: betel nut comes into this world, from head to toe,
Every pore was dripping with blood and dirty stuff.
Behind this is a money empire of broken faces and names piled up.
One might naively ask:
Betel nut is so harmful, but also lead to a huge medical burden, why does the government not want to betel nut?
I would like to answer this question with a dialogue from the British film and television drama "Yes, Prime Minister".
No smoking ban is the reason, and the same is true of betel nuts.
● Smokers are benefactors of the state1
The Prime Minister said smoking was the main source of illness, and Cabinet Secretary Humphrey countered,
Tobacco taxes are also a major source of government tax revenue.
Immediately after, the Prime Minister noted that smoking-induced diseases cost the Ministry of Health $165 million a year.
Humphrey's next words punctured the last layer of window paper.
● Smokers are the benefactors of the state2
The Prime Minister asked: Cigarettes kill 100,000 people a year, what do we get?
Humphrey replied briefly but forcefully: 4 billion years old.
Like smokers, betel nut addicts voluntarily sacrifice their lives,
Large pension and social security payments have been saved for the state, and they are the benefactors of the state.
If you want to be someone else's benefactor, keep chewing betel nut.
Click here to watch the full video