Information Sheet - Importation of Khat into Australia
Khat is a plant (botanical name Catha edulis) grown extensively in parts of Eastern Africa and Southern Arabia. Its fresh leaves and tops are chewed or dried and consumed as tea in some African communities. The plant contains two active substances, cathine and cathinone, both of which where placed under international control in 1986 by inclusion in the United Nations (UN) Convention on Psychotropic Substances 1971.
Australia's obligations under international drug control treaties require controls to be exercised over the importation and exportation of designated substances, including the active ingredients ofkhat. These controls are exercised under Regulation 5 of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations and require importers to hold both a Licence to Import and a Permit to Import a controlled substance. A Permit to Import is also required for each shipment of a controlled substance and will not be issued unless a Licence is already held. There are two types of permits, single use Import Permits and Annual Permits. Annual Permits allow importers to import once a month for up to twelve months.
All permits must be obtained in advance of the controlled substances arriving in Australia.
In addition to control at the Commonwealth level, each Australian State and Territory controls the possession, storage and supply of certain classes of substances, including the active constituents of khat.
Against this regulatory background is the need to strike a balance between cultural requirements of individuals from the Horn of Africa communities residing in Australia and the potential for abuse of the substances. For this reason the matter was recently referred to the National Coordination Committee on Therapeutic Goods (NCTTG), which includes representation from the Commonwealth and all State and Territory Health Portfolios.
The committee endorsed an interim proposal allowing the importation of khat by individuals for personal use only. This proposal allows the Commonwealth to issue licences and permits for importation of up to 5kg ofkhat per month for personal use, provided written advice is received from the relevant State/Territory Health Authority that such importation will not result in a breach of legislation within that jurisdiction and there is no objection to a Licence being issued to the particular applicant.
The issue will also be referred to the National Drug Strategy Committee for advice on the potential harm arising from the use of khat. In the light of that advice, the necessary restrictions under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations will be reviewed and if necessary, in line with Australia's UN obligations, the regulations will be amended accordingly.
Individual's who wish to apply for a licence to import Khat will need to complete the relevant application form. Copies of the information pack for intended importers are available from the
Treaties and Monitoring Unit of the Therapeutic Goods Administration, Ph (02) 6270 4328
From
http://www.health.gov.au/tga/docs/pdf/khatapp.pdf
Looks like it's an illegal substance in Australia, that you can only import for personal use if you have a license (and?) or cultural reasons for doing so. I'm unsure of the legality of growing this plant, but since it's constituent chemicals are controlled, I imagine it's restricted.
Someone may have more information than I. This was just the first thing I found using Google, searching on the terms "khat site:au"...
BigTrancer
