Teens in India's West Bengal Develop Strange Addiction to Flavored Condoms

Recently, the sale of flavored condoms has drastically increased in various parts of West Bengal state, reportedly, including Durgapur City Center, Bidhannagar, Benachiti, Muchipara, C Zone, and A Zone.

In a bizarre scenario, teens from Durgapur, a city in India's West Bengal, have reportedly been found addicted to flavored condoms, and retailers haven't been able to keep the prophylactics on their shelves for more than one or two days.

According to a report by news18.com, some teens are regularly buying condoms in order to get intoxicated, a local shopkeeper revealed after having asked a regular customer at his shop.

“Earlier three to four packets of condoms were sold per shop per day. And now packs of condoms are disappearing from the store," say shopkeepers at a medical store in Durgapur, cited by news18.

This new “means" of addiction has sparked much concern among the local administration and health experts, as it may have grave consequences for local youth.

“Condoms contain aromatic compounds. It breaks down to form alcohol. It is addictive. This aromatic compound is also found in dendrites glue. So many people use dendrite for addiction also," said Dheeman Mandal, who works at Durgapur Divisional Hospital.

A Chemistry teacher, Nurul Haque, from Durgapur RE College Model School has said that “the long-term soaking of condoms in hot water causes intoxication due to the breakdown of large organic molecules into alcoholic compounds."

In an unrelated incident in India's Telangana state, a video of a woman rubbing chili powder onto the eyes of her teenage son to punish him for marijuana addiction has gone viral.

The woman tied her 15-year-old boy to a pole and resorted to this punishment after all her efforts to wean her son away from marijuana failed.

According to a report in Sakshi, the son used to attend school before the pandemic, but dropped out later. He then became addicted to marijuana.

When he returned home high after having been missing for 10 days, his mother, a daily wage worker, tied him to a pole and rubbed chili powder into his eyes, making a video of the punishment which has taken the internet by storm.