US authorities send Pakistani pan masala product for drug testing
Police are of the view that the product is illegally imported and claim that students chew it for getting high
March 14, 2017
COLUMBUS: Police in the United States are cracking down on a Pakistani pan masala product, which they claim is being used by students to get high.
Public health officials warned central Ohio law enforcement after several students were caught chewing betel nut at the Reynoldsburg High School Summit Campus, according to local media.
Police are of the view that the product is illegally imported and claim that students chew it for getting high.
"We believe there's a euphoric effect but it also seems to affect their equilibrium. There's a general loss of balance and coordination that goes along with the use of this product," said Reynoldsburg Police Chief Jim O'Neill.
The product contains betel nuts, an oral stimulant used by millions in parts of Asia, which health officials say isn't a controlled substance, but linked to oral cancer.
Authorities have requested the Food and Drug Administration and the US Department of Agriculture to determine legal status of the product easily available on US stores.
