Pubdate: Fri, 27 Jun 2008
Source: Muslim News, The (UK)
Copyright: 2008 The Muslim News
Contact:  http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4681
Author: Baroness Warsi, Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion
Bookmark: Baroness Warsi, Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion

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
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom