Khat is legal in Yemen. [6] However, the cultivation of the plant and the sale of its leaves are subject to a number of regulations. In 2007, the Yemeni government passed a law restricting khat cultivation in a number of high-water stressed plains and agricultural basins. The General Sales Tax Act of 2005 also set the khat tax rate at 20% of the retail price. [72] Traditionally, khat is used as a socializing drug, as in Yemen, where chewing khat is primarily a male habit. [20] Khat is so popular in Yemen that its cultivation consumes much of the country`s agricultural resources. It is estimated that 40% of Yemen`s water supply is for irrigation[21], with production increasing by about 10% to 15% each year. A „daily bag“ of khat requires about 500 liters (130 US gallons) of water to produce. [22] Water consumption is high and the water table in the Sana`a Basin is declining, so government officials have proposed moving much of Sana`a`s population to the Red Sea coast.

[20] Khat has been illegal in Denmark since 1993. [75] In 2009, the Danish Health Authority investigated khat use among Somalis in Denmark. A questionnaire with 848 respondents was used. The responses showed that 48% of Somali men and 16% of women used the drug every month, and 29% of men and 6% of women used it twice or more a week. [76] Half of the respondents had never used khat. [76] Responses showed that Somalis made up the vast majority of users in Denmark. [76] Khat appears to have a relatively low risk of addiction, but withdrawal symptoms can occur when a person stops using khat after consuming it regularly. In January 2015, the Bristol Post reported that most khat houses in the city had closed and that „users were forced to take the drugs home instead“. Local police had not initially tried to enforce the ban and give users a grace period, but according to the Bristol Post, they had recently begun cracking down on khat use, issuing three warnings and one warning. In addition, police seized 24 bags of dried khat from an Easton property in September 2014, but no arrests were made. In addition, the Somali Resource Centre pointed out that the ban appeared to be effective and had almost destroyed the import market, as the plant had to be fresh to be consumed.

[116] A consultation with Somalis in Glasgow, conducted by the national voluntary organization Fast Forward at the request of the Somali Association in Glasgow in October 2014, concluded that khat continues to be used in fresh and dried form by some Somalis in the city and that the ban has also led some users to: to search for other substances. [117] The ban would have contributed to an increase in the price of khat in the United Kingdom. Channel 4 News reported in September 2014 that before the ban, 20 tonnes of khat a day arrived at Heathrow Airport and sold for £3 per package. After the ban, it would have been sold at £30 per pack. [118] Results: Nineteen focus groups included 114 participants. Khat use is reported to be common in the Somali community and more common among men than women. Khat was usually chewed during prolonged sessions, resulting in mild psychostimulant effects such as increased energy, improved mood, decreased appetite, and reduced sleep. Khat was widely considered a food rather than a drug and was considered harmless or even beneficial to the user`s health. Many users have reported withdrawal effects such as lethargy, sleep disturbances, and mood problems after sessions of high khat consumption, and some have reported self-medicating with alcohol to deal with these problems.

Khat addiction problems were identified by some participants, but not all believed it was addictive. Many khat users have reported consulting their healthcare professionals for treatment of side effects and not disclosing their khat consumption. Key outcome measures: Emerging topics related to the Somali-Australian population`s understanding of the links between khat use and personal health. Although the practice of chewing khat is still mainly limited to its original cultivation area in the Red Sea region,[3] over the years the khat plant has found its way to southern Africa as well as the tropics, where it grows on rocky outcrops and in forests. It is now found in the South African provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape and Mpumalanga, as well as Eswatini and Mozambique. [17] In recent years, however, improvements in roads, off-road vehicles and air travel have increased the global spread of this perishable commodity and, as a result, the plant has been reported in England, Wales, Rome, Amsterdam, Canada, Israel, Australia, New Zealand[18] and the United States.