NSUNKO- (SNUFF) : COULD IT BE ONE OF THE DANGEROUS SEX ECONOMY’S CASH COWS IN MY COMMUNITY?

Economists made me believe that the ten biggest industries in any economy are oil and gas, food, real estate, automobile, health, finance and insurance, pharmaceuticals etc. This week, watching women taking snuff made me think deeply about the sex industry.

 And when one mentions the sex industry, there is likelihood of inducing thoughts about common underground sex trade. But, wait a minute! I realized the sex economy is one of the biggest in the world and goes beyond what we see on the surface.

A closer look at fashion, beauty products, weight loss and everything that makes one look attractive is connected to sex.  Men’s suits and other clothing churns out millions of dollars, mostly with a connotation of sex. You are probably wearing what you are, have a certain hair style, driving a particular type of car, live a certain lifestyle, because you are influenced by the manufacturers in order to attract those of the opposite sex.

Count the number of erotic massage-parlours, condom manufacturers and their entire supply chain, marriage and other sex counselors, pimps and bottom girls, sexual pills manufacturers and distributors, wedding management services, gynecological and maternity services who all cash in on sex. You may add pornography, dating sites and sex toys as something obvious.

 In Africa, you also have the consultant who promises to “bring back your lost lover in ten minutes” or magically find you a suitor in less than a day, etc.! The list under the sex economic sector seem to be endless!

Of course, the apex of majority of these endeavors is the ticklish sensation itself. You have a range of services such as surgical, that operation involving use of a dead person’s skin pushed under your foreskin, to herbs that will either increase the size or length of the precious male asset. Everything done in order to enjoy the trick.

Not to be outdone, womenfolk spend millions on related services to enhance sexual prowess and increased desirability. Among the recent found feat in Africa is snuff, locally known as nsunko.

Lizeka Maduna, a journalist from Daily Vox writes her findings about the use of the stuff: “Snuff is the kind of thing you might expect a character in a Charles Dickens novel to use, but you can get it on any street corner in South Africa. Intsu, as it’s locally known, is a form of dry, crushed tobacco…

“Users may sniff the tobacco into the nostrils, dip it between the lower lip and gum or insert it into the vagina. Yes, you read right – intravaginal insertion of snuff is a thing. Many women believe that the coarse powder helps stimulate their sexual drive while tightening their vaginas and making them more sexually desirable…”

One snuff vendor from one of Chingola’s markets says she has a wide clientele and business is booming. She is able to take care of her orphaned grandchildren and send some of them to school. She normally has pre-orders with a stunning lead time of seven days! She inferred that for many of the young women, snuff has to do with satisfying their men sexually. 

“Every woman’s main preoccupation is how best to keep his man happy. Most of the things we do is centered on this premise,” she concluded.

A consumer found buying snuff said she takes snuff for the nicotine kick it provides.  The fact, however, is that snuff is getting more popular among our women for erotic reasons. The big questions, then are: does snuff really help stimulate sexual desires or, in any way, enhance sexual pleasure and/or are there dangers associated to use of snuff either by sniffing, chewing or insertion? What do experts say?

The World Health Organisation has already sounded the warning that snuff causes nasal cancer, and that if chewed, tobacco may cause oral oesophageal and pancreatic cancer. Other ailments related to tobacco are: heart diseases, high blood pressure, stroke and increased risk of early delivery and still birth when taken during pregnancy.

Dr. Dorothy Lombe, a cancer specialist in Zambia stated: “Tobacco is a well-known carcinogen whether it is smoked or snuffed. It predisposes users to all types of cancers most commonly lung, oesophageal, stomach, bladder and cervical cancer. The negative effect of a smoking mother on the unborn child is inevitable.”

Arlene Evans Debeverly PA, a long time US Obstetrician and Gynecologist states: “In the past 30 years, studies have been appearing that address use of tobacco and impotence.  OK, ladies, let’s define impotence: Inability to achieve or maintain erection of the penis; hence, inability to participate fully in sexual intercourse. Erectile impotence (failure to achieve erection) may have either physical causes (e.g., alcoholism, endocrine disease) or psychological ones (e.g., anxiety, hostility toward the partner). Ejaculatory impotence (inability to reach orgasm, sometimes with an erection maintained for a long time) nearly always has an emotional cause.

“For the purpose of this article, we are going to address erectile impotence.  Let’s be very clear.  Though we usually think about the penis as the sexual erectile tissue, let’s add that the clitoris “erects” as do nipples, male and female.  A good blood supply produces engorged and erect tissue; with erection comes heightened sensitivity and pleasure.  Simply put, the better the blood supply, the greater the potential pleasure!

“Did you notice that the definition of impotence does not mention tobacco use?  We know that an immediate effect of tobacco use, just after a cigarette or a “chew”, is constriction of blood vessels.  This constriction does limit the blood flow into the penis (or, in our case, the clitoris).  Long term use of tobacco damages the vessels causing atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries); the hardening of the arteries does not allow the vessels to fill properly with blood.  This can lead to a weak erection or one that can’t be sustained.  And when I am talking about erection, take your choice; it applies to the penis or the clitoris or the nipples.

“And remember, ladies, when I talk to you about sex, if you are still smoking or getting second hand smoke, it is a tough battle we are fighting…if you ever want to get back to the frisky kitten you used to be, you need to make a choice between TOBACCO OR YOUR PASSION…

Well, better obey our genetics or what do you think?