The Government today announced its decision to control the herbal stimulant khat as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. It argues that banning khat will help ‘protect vulnerable members of communities and send a clear message to international partners and khat smugglers that the UK is serious about stopping the illegal trafficking of khat’. Earlier this year, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs advised against a ban because of an absence of evidence that khat is a causal factor in medical and social harms.
POST is currently preparing a POSTnote on ‘Minimising the harms of khat’. It will be published before the summer recess.