Blood-red patches stain the streets of Myanmar’s capital Yangon. At first it might look like something from a war zone, but the marks are made by betel nut, a debilitating drug that has long been a problem in the country.
Addicts chew wraps known as ‘quids’, which are made up of betel-nut leaves and nuts, tobacco, and a wild mix of other chemical ingredients – flavouring, colourings and sometimes alcohol. Chewing them gives you a brief psychoactive high and produces a red liquid that people spit out, in the process staining their teeth and making them look like vampires.
