Khat in the UK: A Decade After the Ban, Its Continued Presence and Unresearched Impact

The UK outlawed khat, a stimulant plant chewed for effects akin to amphetamine, ten years ago. Despite its reclassification a decade prior, experts indicate the drug remains available in the UK, with prices in some areas reaching ten times their 2014 cost. However, comprehensive data to assess the ban’s actual impact is scarce. Dr. Neil Carrier, who conducted postdoctoral research on khat at the University of Oxford, stated that authorities have largely “forgotten” the drug. He added that “in terms of understanding drug policy, the bans’ impact should really be researched.” Mohammed, whose name has been changed, a 25-year-old, informed the BBC that he used khat in 2018, four years following its prohibition. He stated: “The thing is, there’s actually quite a lot of it readily available in the UK.” He further explained: “You can get it in little silver sachet bags that are air-sealed and marketed as herbal facial products, but it’s literally just khat.” He consumed the drug in its dried form, a method that has grown more prevalent over the last decade. Dr. Carrier, currently a social anthropology professor at the University of Bristol, noted that fresh khat leaves were sold for “around £3 a bundle (250g)” throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Somali, Yemeni, and Ethiopian men frequently chewed it in communal sessions at specific khat cafes, known as mafrishes. In 2011, he contributed to a government-published literature review concerning khat’s social harms and legal status. He explained: “Very often as anthropologists, when we think about drugs, we don’t just focus on the drug itself but also how it gets caught up in the wider cultural meanings, wider relationships and power.” He added: “We look at how it becomes a commodity and how the substance fits into society.” He viewed the prohibition as a “missed opportunity” to explore alternative regulatory approaches for recreational drugs. He elaborated: “We could see how khat was associated with various issues that were very challenging with communities using khat in the UK. “But at the time I felt the drug was blamed for these wider issues,” he commented. Dr. Carrier recalled that in the early 2000s, he frequently heard individuals link khat to family and social integration difficulties. He quoted: “I would hear things like ’men are not being good fathers as they chewed khat’.” He continued: “And ‘people who are chewing khat might, as a consequence, not be looking for work’.” He concluded: “But in reality, this is only half the picture.” He further stated: “We often in society give drugs so much power and label them as the cause of problems when really the picture tends to be more blurred and complicated.” Last year, Border Force confiscated 2,760 consignments of class C drugs. A Home Office spokesperson commented: “Border Force and police work relentlessly to stop illegal drugs from coming into the country and keep them off our streets.” The spokesperson added: “We have seen a record level of seizures as we continue to use advanced technology, data and greater intelligence to ensure these drugs do not enter the country.” In June 2014, the UK was among the final EU nations to reclassify khat. Before this date, over 2,500 tonnes were imported annually, as per the Advisory Council of the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD). This quantity is equivalent to the weight of approximately 208 double-decker buses of the stimulant drug. The majority of these shipments are believed to have been distributed and sold within East African diaspora communities in Britain, including Somalis and Ethiopians. Dr. Carrier suggested that khat and cannabis, both plant-derived drugs, share a similar policing framework, which might explain the scarcity of data on the prevalence of less common drugs like khat. He stated: “A lot of the drugs data gets conflated with data around cannabis and they tend to get pooled together.” He clarified: “As far as I understand anyways,” he noted. When reporting on the drug, UK Border Force typically categorizes khat under an “other class” designation. Dr. Carrier further remarked: “What people suspected would happen at the time of the ban has happened.” He continued: “Khat is now being smuggled in, especially a dried khat, mostly coming in from Ethiopia, and it seems to have become quite popular.” He concluded: “The people that do still want to consume, even though it’s been banned, can still consume it in a different form.” Dried khat possesses lower potency than the fresh plant and reportedly offers a “less pleasant user experience” regarding taste and texture. Dr. Carrier indicated that this implies a continuing market for the drug. He explained: “Some people, if they can afford it, will still chew the fresh stuff.” He added: “The fresh stuff is £30 to £40 a bundle.” He concluded: “But there are people still willing to spend that kind of money on it.” He affirmed: “People are still accessing khat.”