Khat and mouse

Banning the east African stimulant may backfire
The Economist (UK)
Saturday, June 28, 2014

On June 24, 2014, the sale of khat was prohibited in Britain, almost a year after home secretary Theresa May told the House of Commons that she intended to ban it. The government argues that since the leaf has been banned elsewhere, Britain risks turning into a distribution point if it remains legal; that khat is a dangerous intoxicant that harms its users and that the “marfashes” where men go to chew are breeding radicalism. Both the government’s advisory council on the misuse of drugs and the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee advised against the crackdown.