The Covid-19 crisis has finally prompted Bihar, otherwise a dry state, to ban the consumption of khainee, the smokeless tobacco meant for chewing, in public places. An order issued by Bihar Principal Secretary Health Sanjay Kumar on April 13 outlaws spitting in public places after chewing smokeless tobacco products, paan masala and other tobacco items that increase saliva and trigger a very strong urge to spit.

"Spitting in public places could enhance the spread of the Covid-19 virus," Sanjay Kumar told India Today. Offenders will be liable to six months of imprisonment. With this order, all office spaces in Bihar, whether public or private, along with all educational institutions and police stations will be declared tobacco-free zones.

In view of the increasing danger of the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) had also appealed to people to refrain from consuming smokeless tobacco products and spitting in public places. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also stated that gutkha and khainee are primary causes of cancer in Bihar.

Among all types of cancer in Bihar, 40 per cent of the cases are linked to tobacco consumption while 80 per cent of cases are oral cancer, said Dr Ajay Kumar, vice-president of the Indian Medical Association (Bihar). "Khainee consumption is one of the reasons behind oral cancer cases as many are addicted to it," added Dr Ajay Kumar.

Once described by Lalu Prasad as the recipe to stimulate thoughts, khainee is a household name in Bihar. However, the Covid-19 crisis seems to have given the state health department an opportunity to rush in where authorities have always feared to tread.

The government, however, still seems to have left a small window open for khainee lovers as the ban seems to be only on spitting in public places. Unlike liquor, it seems one can still chew khainee at home but will not be able to spit it outside.

Incidentally, tobacco is grown in at least six districts of Bihar- Vaishali, Sitamarhi, Saharsha, Madhepura, Motihari and Champaran. It is usually grown near the riverside stretches of north Bihar branded fallow and unoccupied for long.

Sanjay Kumar's order, however, is also being seen as progressive and something that Bihar needed. "The ban on khainee will not only decrease the ill impact on one's health and society but also bring a welcome change on Bihari culture of spitting anywhere without any remorse," said a senior IAS officer.

Sources said that though there has been an overall dip in tobacco consumption in the state, from 53.5 per cent to 25.9 per cent in the past eight years, the number of khainee consumers in the state continues to give health experts sleepless nights.