Khat Ban: Good Idea/Bad Idea?

The first and last time I tried Khat (or Qat, Gat, or even Chat depending on your language and dialect) I was in a public chewing-house, reclining on cushions on the floor, surrounded entirely by bearded men. The year was 2007 and I was in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Truth be told, I had never heard about the narcotic plant before – I suspect that few Britons at the time had – and I was underwhelmed by the effects, which I’d been promised included a deep and philosophical state of mind and the ability to ad-lib poetic verse. In reality, after 3 hours of chewing I felt only a little more relaxed and a little more focused. And so I remember being surprised when Khat was suddenly the subject of UK media attention as something worth banning.

The ban, which will come into effect in the next few months, has been encouraged by some of the 90,000 UK members of East African and Yemeni communities and backed by Teresa May. It seeks to reduce the harm on communities in which male Khat-chewers spend money they can’t afford on the plant, and spend hours in each others’ company allegedly neglecting their family duties. Incidentally, this was an argument I had often heard in Yemen, where men were harangued by mothers and wives to start looking for a job instead of endlessly indulging in Khat’s narcotic effects.

But in the UK a number of scientists have criticised the ban, including chair of the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, Professor David Nutt, who says that it shows “contempt for reason and evidence”. Meanwhile, the Advice Council on the Misuse of Drugs complains of the lack of “necessary data and robust evidence to support proportionate intervention.” This echoes many scientific opinions surrounding the UK’s 2009 crackdown on cannabis.

Regardless of the physical effects of Khat, one thing is certain – that the act of chewing it is a social occasion, bringing East African and Yemeni men together to drink tea and discuss politics, women and money. Which begs an interesting question; what will happen once it becomes illegal? Will Khat users continue to buy it illegally, fuelling underground crime? Will they admit defeat, save money and spend time with their families? Or will they move on to other substances?

In the words of Keith Vaz, Chairman of the Home Affairs Committee, “”It is baffling that potential friction, between already disadvantaged communities and the police, has not been fully considered.”

To find out more about Khat, check out http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/khat . Please feel free to leave your comments below.