The Northern Marianas House of Representatives has increased the excise tax on betel nut imports.
Betel Nut, or Buai Photo: Banni Pulikottil CC BY 2.5
Under the old rules importers paid a 1 percent excise tax on each betel nut sale but this is now changed to $US3 per pound of betel nut.
The money is intended to be kept aside and used to deter consumption of betel nut which is linked to oral cancer.
The bulk of the money would be used to fund oral cancer screenings and treatment, and education.