Somalia arrests another journalist as press clampdown intensifies
Detention of reporters for covering sensitive news is having a ‘chilling’ effect on free media in Somalia, say rights groups
June 2022
Faya Dayi review – the ups and downs of khat’s zonked-out bliss
Alongside a mystical state held sacred by some Sufis, this poetic documentary shows the hard labour of growing khat and the damage done by its use
May 2016
Khat's your lot: Yemen authorities limit sales of stimulant to weekends
Checkpoints are set up and patrols started in southern port city of Aden to prevent midweek shipments, say witnesses
June 2015
Guardian Africa network
How Britain's khat ban devastated an entire Kenyan town
Mild stimulant used to be Maua’s most valuable export, bringing prosperity to all involved. A year since it was outlawed, the local economy has been devastated
May 2015
Yemen tribesmen ban khat in city overrun by al-Qaida militants
Group allied with regional Islamist branch that overran Mukalla last month say users of the traditonal drug will be held responsible under sharia law
June 2014
Seventeen people charged in US with running global khat trafficking ring
Group accused of importing east African khat into Manhattan for sale on the streets of New York and Massachusetts
This ban on khat is another idiotic salvo in the UK's disastrous war on drugs
Ian Birrell
Ian Birrell: Making this mild natural stimulant a banned class C drug will only benefit criminal gangs and damage race relations
Khat ban: UK police officers told to use their discretion in enforcement
Policing the ban on the mild herbal stimulant, used by Somali, Yemeni and Ethiopian people in the UK, poses challenges
March 2014
There's simply no case for banning khat
Julian Huppert
Julian Huppert: Khat is as potent as a strong cup of coffee and has no organised crime involvement – yet the government wants to spend £150m on a ban that would create far more severe problems
Qat ban and lessons on drugs – news and resources round up
With qat controversially being made into a Class C drug this week, here are a selection of resources to help you explore this story and the wider issues about drugs in class
Qat ban divides opinion among UK's Somali community
Ban qat? Theresa May might as well ban cats
David Nutt
Q&A: what is qat, and how much of it is used in the UK?
Theresa May ignores experts and bans use of qat
March 2013
France catches up with khat users
This traditional east African stimulant is illegal in France, but customs seizures are on a par with cocaine
January 2013
Drugs advisory group decides against banning qat in UK
Home Office-commissioned report finds no evidence of links to organised crime or Somalia's al-Shabab Islamist group
May 2012
Seven arrested on suspicion of exporting qat to fund terrorism
People suspected of exporting stimulant arrested in three UK cities in police operation run with US and Border Agency help
June 2011
Qat and chat in Yemen
A week after President Saleh left the country, violent protests continue in Yemen. Author Paul Torday, whose novel satirised the use of military intervention there, says this ancient civilisation has survived far worse times
April 2011
Twenty things you need to know about Yemen
All you need to know about Yemen, from its tribal and often bloody politics to its coffee and qat culture
October 2010
Drugs advisers to consider qat ban
Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs asked to evaluate stimulant used by several ethnic communities around UK
