Pubdate: Fri, 20 May 2016
Source: Mail and Guardian (South Africa)
Copyright: Mail & Guardian, 2016
Contact:  http://www.mg.co.za/mg/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/254

YEMEN BANS KHAT

Authorities in South Yemen have banned the sale of the mild narcotic 
khat on weekdays, but said it will be allowed into the city of Aden 
and its suburbs on weekends.

Checkpoints were set up on Monday around Aden to stop khat shipments 
from entering the port city. Patrols roamed markets to enforce the 
ban on its sales. It will only be permitted on Thursdays and Fridays.

The statement said the ban was prompted by complaints from citizens 
and because of "security, social and health" concerns. It added that 
khat markets also caused traffic jams.

A local merchant told Associated Press that some of his stock had 
been burned but he did manage to smuggle some into Aden.

Khat is part of the social fabric of Yemen, Somalia and Ethiopia. 
Chewing wads of the evergreen herb has a stimulating effect similar 
to drinking numerous cups of strong coffee.

Others say khat gives feelings of wellbeing, mental alertness, 
excitement and euphoria, the website Live Science reports. Its use is 
banned in most of Europe and North America, where cases of abuse have 
been reported. The United Kingdom ban was largely to prevent it being 
part of the smuggling route to countries where khat is banned.

Khat ( Catha edulis) is a shrub found in East Africa and the Arabian 
Peninsula that contains two alkaloids, cathinone and cathine, which 
act as stimulants, according to Live Science.

Yemen's restriction on khat consumption was applied in the formerly 
independent South Yemen before it united with the north in the 1990s.

Aden has served as the temporary capital of Yemen since forces loyal 
to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi recaptured it and four other 
southern provinces from Shia fighters in mid-2015. Southern militias 
that fought alongside Hadi's loyalists have been mostly assimilated 
in security forces.

Al Jazeera
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom