Quote:
Originally Posted by kestrelx
Has anyone heard of Khat? (pronounced Cot) It is a plant from Africa - Ethopia and Somalia - it is legal in the UK and gives the user mild euphoria and is a bit like mild speed. It is legally available from Somalia type green grocers, probably maybe some in Blackburn or Manchester.
It comes in bundles of leaves on stalks and has to be chewed to get the effect - the juice from chewing is swallowed and the remaining material spat out. It is a lot of effort to chew it and has a bitter taste and is a bit similar to chewing a bag of liquorice - it takes up to 2 hours to chew enough. It is mainly used by those Ethnic types as a social stimulant in social meetings, bit like British use beer in the pub.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Kh...w=1067&bih=505 |
Seems like the drug of choice, Kes, according to this graph (see thumbnail below)... but perhaps not legal for too much longer if the Tories have their way...
((From Wikipedia) Although concerns have been expressed by commentators, health professionals and community members about the use of khat in the UK, particularly by immigrants from
Somalia,
Yemen and
Ethiopia, currently it is not a controlled substance.
As a result of these concerns, the
Home Office commissioned successive research studies to look into the matter, and in 2005, presented the question of khat's legal status before the
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. After a review of the evidence, the expert committee recommended in January 2006 that the status of khat as a legal substance should remain for the time being.
In 2008,
Conservative politician
Sayeeda Warsi stated that a future Conservative government would ban khat. The website of the Conservative Party, which is now the largest party in a coalition government in the UK, previously stated that a Conservative government would "Tackle unacceptable cultural practices by", amongst other measures, "classifying Khat". In 2009, the Home Office commissioned two new studies in the effects of khat use and in June 2010, a Home Office spokesperson stated: "The Government is committed to addressing any form of substance misuse and will keep the issue of khat use under close scrutiny".
Because it is legal in the UK, and because of khat's short
shelf life, Britain serves as a main gateway for khat being sent by air to North America.
During a debate on the legality on the 11 January 2012, UK Member of Parliament for Milton Keynes Mark Lancaster, Conservative, stated importation of Khat into the UK stands at 10 tonnes every week.