🌿Harmless Tradition or Khat-astrophe?

“A man without khat, is like a fish out of water.”

According to a Somalian fisherman, “A man without khat, is like a fish out of water”. So what happens when the Coronavirus pandemic results in khat being banned, in a country where a third of its inhabitants consume it regularly? Somalia will give us an answer soon…

If you’ve never heard of khat before, it’s probably because you’re not East African or have never been there. The plant has been consumed in East Africa and Yemen for centuries and is appreciated for its relaxing, euphoric effects similar to that of amphetamine.

You said Khat?

Khat is quite unique in that you don’t drink it nor smoke it, you chew it. When chewed, the leaves release molecules of cathinone, producing a high effect to its consumer similar to that of amphetamines. Yet, cathinone starts to break down rapidly in leaves and stems once the twigs are cut off, thus requiring the leaves to be consumed fresh.

The volatile nature of cathinone has had a profound impact on khat consumption and trade. For centuries, consumption was confined to the parts of Yemen, Ethiopia, and Kenya that could produce the plant, or that could be easily reached on foot or mounted on donkey or camels.