Since the evidence on the health consequences of khat remainsinconclusive, a more feasible option than banning khat is toestablish a system of regulating its production, distribution and consumption that takes into account its critical contribution to farmers’ livelihoods. This option would involve licensing khat retailers, setting age limits for consumption and establishing a system of quality control for the product.
Prohibiting the cultivation of khat, by contrast, would threaten the livelihoods of many farmers and traders, and likely drive many of them deeper into illegal activity or into poverty. Criminalising those who have to rely on khat production for their survival is not the answer. The discussion of khat needs to be placed within a development framework instead of being dominated by a mindset that stresses illicit ‘substance abuse’.
International Poverty Centre (IPC)
July 2007