UK - Khat ban calls ahead of government report

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edgarshade

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By Secunder Kermani, London
16 January 2013 Last updated at 23:20

Calls for the herbal high khat to be banned in the UK have been renewed days before a government report into its usage is due to be published. On 5 January the Netherlands became the latest country to outlaw the plant which acts as a stimulant when chewed. Campaigners said it causes medical problems and family breakdowns. The Advisory Council for the Misuse of Drugs is to release a report next week into whether khat - grown in East Africa - should be banned in the UK. Khat, which is particularly popular among some in the Somali, Ethiopian and Yemeni communities, has already been outlawed in most European countries as well as in the US and Canada.
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Abukar Awale, a former khat addict who now campaigns against it, said: "Khat is destroying our community. "Somali women are suffering domestic violence as a result of their husbands' use of khat, a lot of young boys are using khat now, they are failing at school and turning to crimes. "Khat has become the biggest barrier to integration for the Somali community."

A woman, who did not want to be identified, also supports a ban. She said her brother has chewed khat and now suffers from schizophrenia which she blames on his use of the stimulant. "He went from being someone who was very lively and funny, to being very moody, aggressive and closed off."
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Dr Axel Klein specialises in the study of addictive behaviour at the University of Kent. He says there was no clear medical evidence that khat is harmful and believes a ban could be counter-productive. "It will create more tensions between young Somali men and the police if they are stopped and searched for khat and it is providing organised crime groups with a major opportunity to raise revenue through smuggling. "The consequences of a ban far outweigh any possible dangers of excessive use."
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-21052969
 
If these campaigners don't know what prohibition will do to their community then its tragic. If they DO know then they are traitors to their own community.
 
There is literally no point in campaigning against the ban, if it gets you even slightly high, it WILL be illegal.
 
It's interesting that the somali campaigner who wants khat banned is actually saying that it is racist not to ban it. Talk about being brainwashed!
 
This is so sad if they ban it. I had some great experiences with khat in the 1980s. I met a couple of Somalis who suggested that it would be far healthier than the amphetamine sulphate that a lot us were using in large quantities at the time (and getting very messed up on). With khat, you were absorbing all the botanical compounds of the plant as well as the psycho-active chemical components. It seemed a much more subtle sociable buzz.

It has to be brought in fresh as one of the active ingredients spoils quickly. I can't see this kind of importation surviving a ban - too bulky for smuggling - how often is coca leaf available outside of South America? Many users will probably be forced to turn to far more dangerous concentrated powdered stimulants instead
 
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