KHAT SHOULD BE BANNED

In politics it is easy to become trapped in a Westminster bubble.
That's why it's important to keep talking to people from a wide
range of communities, to keep challenging your own perceptions, and
opening yourself to new ideas.

Since my appointment as Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion, I
have heard from a wide variety of people who have come forward about
one issue in particular.

As many readers may know, khat is a drug traditionally used by East
African and Middle Eastern communities, mainly by men, and mainly as
a part of celebrations like weddings. Chewing khat is said to be a
social and cultural activity which enhances social interaction.

Catha edulis, to use its Latin name, is grown in North Africa, and
chewed in leaf form. It is a stimulant which suppresses the appetite
and induces a mildly euphoric state.

Its long term effects are far more sinister.

It is responsible for a catalogue of medical problems, including
mouth cancer and mental illness, as well as cardiovascular,
digestive, respiratory, endocrine and genito-urinary disorders.

Like an amphetamine, it is addictive. Users become unable to focus
on anything except their next hit, spending all their money on the
drug and ignoring their families. When people ask why the Somali
community, for example, has high rates of unemployment and low rates
of academic achievement, the answer can in part be found in khat.

I met Abukar, a North London man who spent four years as an addict.
"I didn't care about anything except my khat. I chewed it all day
and all night. I couldn't get a job because all I thought about was
this drug," he said. "It took a knife to knock some sense into my
head and show me how foolish I was."

Its impact on the women in these communities is even more
pronounced. Faisa Mohamed, the Chair of the Bromley-based Somali
Well Women Project, has articulated a similar message.

"Back home, men were the breadwinners, but when they came to Britain
without jobs they took up khat, and now it has become an addiction.
They chew it all night and during the day they can't do anything.
Women are going out to work, taking the children to school, doing
the shopping and the men are doing nothing but chewing," she said.

We met young Somalis who said, "They say you should respect your
elders. But how can I respect them when they sit around chewing
drugs all day?"

This is a drug that is beginning to tear apart the social fabric of
a section of our diverse society. And it is legal in Britain.

Khat can be bought legally in Britain from places like Paddington
Market with no restriction on the age of the purchaser. You can buy
bunches for about #3 in small shops all over the country. About 7
tonnes of fresh khat passes through Heathrow airport alone each week.

In the US, smuggling khat carries the same sentence as smuggling
heroin. It is banned in Canada. In Saudi Arabia khat cultivation and
consumption are forbidden and the ban is strictly enforced. It is
also banned in Germany, France, Spain, Denmark and Norway, among others.

Why then is it legal here?

In February 2005, the Government looked at classifying khat during
the passage of the Drugs Act 2005. Even one of Labour's own MPs,
Mike Gapes, said that khat was "causing havoc within the Somali community."

The Government looked at the evidence, but decided that because "the
prevalence of the drug in the UK is relatively low," it did not need
to become a controlled substance.

They chose to hide behind a veil of multiculturalism and ignored all
the evidence.

Even though people from within the East African community called for
action to be taken, they hid behind cultural sensitivity and took
the cowardly route.

Yet, in our country we all agree that forced marriages and domestic
violence are a disgrace and that they have no place in 21st century Britain.

On issues like khat, we have to be just as honest.

Cohesive communities will only be achieved when all communities are
treated equally under the rule of law irrespective of their background.

Abukar now campaigns to ban khat. "I see myself as a member of
British society," he said. "I want to integrate. But then I see how
this drug affects our children. I see our women suffering in
silence. This is the biggest barrier to integration for us."

So when people have suggested to me that politicians should leave
this issue alone because it is a cultural issue, I refuse.

When any section of society is under threat, affected or
underachieving, we must all stand up. We must never shirk our
responsibility to protect communities and we must always afford the
same protection to all people on these isles.

We must never fail to take action on issues like khat because 'the
prevalence of the drug in the UK is relatively low'. That is why a
future Conservative Government would legislate to make khat a
classified drug.

Baroness Warsi, Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion