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Herbal stimulant khat to be banned | Herbal stimulant khat to be banned |
(about 1 hour later) | |
The herbal stimulant khat is to be banned by the government, against the advice of its own Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. | |
In January the ACMD said khat should remain a legal substance, saying there was "insufficient evidence" it caused health problems. | In January the ACMD said khat should remain a legal substance, saying there was "insufficient evidence" it caused health problems. |
But Home Secretary Theresa May has decided to ban it, saying the risks posed could have been underestimated. | |
Khat will be treated as a class C drug - like ketamine and anabolic steroids. | |
It is already banned in most of Europe and in a number of other countries, including the US and Canada. | |
The UK's decision to follow suit is based on security and international considerations, in particular concerns the UK could be used as a transit route for khat to other European countries. | |
"Failure to take decisive action and change the UK's legislative position on khat would place the UK at a serious risk of becoming a single, regional hub for the illegal onward trafficking," Mrs May said in a statement. | |
But campaigners said they were "disappointed and concerned" at the government's decision to reject the advisory council's advice. | |
"A more proportionate alternative to banning khat and criminalising its use would have been an import ban or making it a supply offence only as applies, for example, to controlled anabolic steroids," said Martin Barnes from charity Drugscope. | |
'Significant social problem' | |
Khat is traditionally used by members of the Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities. | Khat is traditionally used by members of the Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian communities. |
The Home Office commissioned a review by the ACMD and, reporting its results in January, it said chewing khat produced a "mild stimulant effect much less potent than stimulant drugs, such as amphetamine". | The Home Office commissioned a review by the ACMD and, reporting its results in January, it said chewing khat produced a "mild stimulant effect much less potent than stimulant drugs, such as amphetamine". |
The ACMD found "no evidence" khat, made from leaves and shoots of a shrub cultivated in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and containing the stimulant cathinone, was directly linked with serious or organised crime. | |
But the government said on Wednesday that it was concerned that a lack of evidence could have led the ACMD to underestimate the risk to communities posed by the drug. | |
Somali groups in the UK had told the ACMD that use of khat was a "significant social problem" and said it caused medical issues and family breakdowns. | Somali groups in the UK had told the ACMD that use of khat was a "significant social problem" and said it caused medical issues and family breakdowns. |
The ACMD said withdrawal symptoms such as tiredness and depression were associated with khat, and recommended that the NHS should educate the public about these where necessary. | The ACMD said withdrawal symptoms such as tiredness and depression were associated with khat, and recommended that the NHS should educate the public about these where necessary. |
The Home Office said the ban was intended to "protect vulnerable members of our communities" and would be brought in at the "earliest possible opportunity". |