Khat: A Bundle of Fun or a Bunch of Problems?

The more pharmacologically active component, cathinone, has half the potency of amphetamine. It is unstable and breaks down to the less active cathine and norephedrine, so the effects of khat are greatest when the leaves are chewed fresh, within 48 hours of picking. To preserve its potency khat is usually sprinkled with water and packaged in plastic bags or wrapped in banana leaves (figure 2). As khat loses its potency fairly rapidly after harvesting, its use has largely been confined to those countries where it is grown, but khat chewing is becoming more common in the UK due to migration and developments in transportation. It is estimated that approximately 7 tonnes enters the UK each week via London Heathrow.