Intoxication with Qăat, Catha edulis L.

Abstract 

The increasing use of Qăat, Catha edulis L. in immigrants from the Horn of Africa to the UK is a matter of concern and may yet become a problem in the UK diaspora. Although it is not illegal in the UK to import sell, buy transport or consume, Qăat is a drug of addiction and demotivation. It is legal, in the unprepared plant form, in the UK and the Netherlands, but is a controlled substance and illegal in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, and France. As long ago as 1980 the World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence. This view continues to be born out and would suggest a re-evaluation of the legal classification of Qăat in the UK and placing it into class C under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.