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May be helping to perpetuate famine in Yemen

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Qat and its relationship with impoverished Yemen

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Scan here and click on the different posts to get information about Khat in Yemen. You can also post your own links to videos, articles, or pictures on this padlet.

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Khat is hurting Yemen's economy

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The world has a lot at stake in Yemen. Down but not out, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is currently recovering from wounds suffered during an attack on June 3 on his compound in a Saudi hospital. His future remains unclear as Yemen lurches toward a Libyan-style civil war.

Meanwhile, the recent deaths of prominent Al-Qaeda leaders in Pakistan and elsewhere have made it appear that Al-Qaeda is slowly disintegrating. But this is not the case in Yemen, where Al-Qaeda is on the march. Al-Qaeda-inspired militants have seized control of two towns in central Yemen in recent days, and the prospect of an Al-Qaeda takeover in Yemen is far more likely at present than in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

Yemen's problems are both political and economic. President Saleh epitomizes the political corruption that has held his country back. But Yemen is also held down by a second tyrant: qat. Indeed, Yemen's long-term stability rests on breaking the grip of "King Qat" on its economy.

Qat is a leafy intoxicant grown across Yemen. The majority of Yemeni adults are at least occasional users of this amphetamine-like alkaloid. While some health studies have shown that chewing qat is both less addictive and less harmful than alcohol, the effect of the drug on Yemeni society is egregious.

In Cairo, I recently spoke with a Yemeni medical student and user of the drug. She acknowledged that chewing qat was unhealthy, but also mentioned that it contained significant quantities of vitamin C. Like alcohol in the Western world, qat has been blamed for many social ills in the Muslim-majority country. Many Yemenis reserve an hour or so each afternoon for chewing the plant. But qat's greatest damage to Yemen is economic.

Qat farming is water-intensive, and about 40 percent of Yemeni water usage goes to growing it. Yet 80 percent of the population suffers from water shortages, a particularly disturbing sign given that the country is set to double its population by 2025. In 1970, less than 10,000 hectares was used for qat production. Today, over 100,000 hectares is consumed by qat farming, and production increases roughly 10 percent every year.

One study suggests that well over a quarter of the national income is spent on its consumption. A 2008 report from the World Health Organization found that Yemenis spend 14.6 million man-hours daily chewing qat. Little wonder that another study suggested that growing the drug was five times more profitable than harvesting fruit.

Back To The Future Export

To overthrow "King Qat", Yemen needs to slash subsidies, reform its agricultural sector, and join international trade blocs. Currently, only 4 percent of Yemeni exports are nonpetroleum in nature. Yet agriculture currently employs 53 percent of the Yemeni workforce. If more markets can be made accessible to Yemeni goods, then more farmers will have incentives to grow crops besides qat.

In addition to being water-intensive, qat is energy-hungry as well. Diesel expenditures remain 80 percent of qat cultivation costs. If the Yemeni government further slashes its fuel subsidies, this could accelerate the transition to other crops. In the past decade, the Yemeni government eased back on fuel and flour subsidies despite protests from consumers.

The secret to Yemen's success may lie in the development and export of another stimulant: coffee. In the 1970s, Yemeni coffee production outstripped qat. Once prized the world over, Yemeni coffee now accounts for less than 1 percent of global production. For Rwanda, specialty coffee has been a key to the country's postwar development strategy.

Increased coffee production could bring increased stability to Yemen as well. Yemeni coffee has real branding and marketing potential. Indeed, the world's first coffee exports originated in Yemen. The country dominated world supply until the 17th century. Global coffee consumers need to be reminded that the word mocha refers to a Yemeni port, the center of the coffee trade in past centuries. And Yemeni farmers could be reminded that the developed world is almost as thirsty for quality coffee as it is for oil.

If Yemeni growers are to be convinced that coffee or another good is more lucrative than qat, richer markets will need to be found for Yemeni exports. To do so, Yemeni membership of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) must become a priority.

Bringing Yemen In From The Cold

Yemen joining the WTO would lead to the normalization of Yemeni exports. The country started the process of joining the body in 2000, yet 11 years later it remains one of the few states outside the WTO. Last year, the United States threw its diplomatic and technical support behind Yemeni WTO membership. But, protests against the Saleh government -- which broke out on January 18 -- have derailed that bid for the time being. WTO membership would also boast Yemen's case for GCC membership. The GCC is the natural source for foreign direct investment in Yemen.

Technically, Yemen remains on track for eventual GCC membership perhaps as soon as 2015. But even before the "Arab Spring," the GCC had begun to slowly distance itself from any hard timetable. Last month, the GCC celebrated its 30th anniversary by extending membership offers to the kingdoms of Jordan and Morocco. The move was largely interpreted as a "circling of the wagons" designed to bring all the Arab world's monarchies into a single union. Some in the GCC believe that the fates of the Arab monarchies are intertwined: The fall of any one Arab king would trigger a domino effect across the region. But the GCC should recognize that a stable and prosperous Yemen is as important to Persian Gulf security as the fate of the Hashemite or Alaouite dynasties.

These moves could encourage other industries, make Yemen richer, and increase the price of qat. The more expensive qat becomes, the less Yemenis will be able to afford it. Already during the winter, qat becomes scarcer in certain parts of Yemen; the inevitable rise in price leads to a drop in consumption.

Some may wonder why a topic like drug use in a poor, sparsely populated country should concern us at all. Yemen sits on the narrow straights of Bab el-Mandeb, where nearly half of the world's container traffic travels. Across the pirate-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden sits Somalia, a "failed state" in the truest sense of the word. An economic rejuvenation of Yemen is the surest way to increased stability of the country, regardless of who rules.

Increased economic opportunity will undercut the draw of extremist groups in the country as well. We must avoid a situation where the straits of the Bab el-Mandeb become that unfortunate intersection of global jihad and the Jolly Rodger. While Yemeni membership in international economic institutions, an end to fuel subsidies, and a revived coffee trade may not be enough to break the grip of "King Qat" on the Yemeni economy, it is something to chew over.

Joseph Hammond is an RFE/RL correspondent in Cairo. The views expressed in this commentary are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL

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The world has a lot at stake in Yemen. Down but not out, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is currently recovering from wounds suffered during an attack on June 3 on his compound in a Saudi hospital. His future remains unclear as Yemen lurches toward a Libyan-style civil war.

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Click on each post to read articles and/or watch videos.
You may post any other relevant information regarding Yemen culture, including the use of khat.

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A blog

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If there's one word that I heard more than any other during my stay in Yemen, it is the word 'qat'. And the reason that word is so important is because, at approximately 2pm every single day, the entire nation stops everything they are doing and focuses on qat and on qat only.

Qat is a plant that is grown all over Yemen, on what seems to be every square inch of land, whether in the valleys or on the mountainsides, that could be used to grow a plant. When the leaves of the plant are fresh, they are chewed, an activity that leads to a state of increased excitement with the possibility of mild euphoria as a bonus. This state is the result of a stimulant similar to amphetamine that is found in the plant and which, using the best description I've heard, acts as if you're drinking endless cups of very strong coffee. Qat, and the substance it contains, is actually illegal in many countries and its use is mostly limited to Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and a handful of other countries in the same geographical area.

In Yemen, people chew qat while walking, sitting, talking, driving, working and just about anything else they might be doing. And when I say 'people', I am referring to what appears to be the entire over-18 male population of the country as well as many women, who also chew the leaves according to their husbands at least.

It's quite traditional for Yemeni males to wear a jambiya every day, a curved ceremonial blade that is displayed in the front by wedging it into a thick belt. And when qat time comes around, most males suddenly have a huge bag of leaves hanging from the handle of their knife so that they have easy access to their qat.

This is not just some hobby. Every male I met admitted that they were addicted to qat and that the only way they could stop chewing it was if they had no money at all and couldn't afford even the cheapest variety, which runs about 500 rials ($2 USD) for a huge bag.

Did I try it out? Of course I did. Not a day went by when a local person didn't give me a gift of qat to chew and you know how it goes...when you receive a gift of qat, it's certainly rude to refuse.

HOW DOES CHEWING QAT WORK?

Morning - Go to the Qat Market to buy your daily supply, choosing the best quality that you can afford. Qat typically stays fresh for one day so most people buy a new batch every day.

1:30pm - Eat a massive lunch.

2:00pm - Pull out your bag of qat, find a comfortable mufrage (sitting room designed specifically for chewing qat that can be found in every home, restaurant and hotel and may sometimes be located outside) and get into the proper qat chewing position. See below photos for an example...

2:01pm - Start chewing qat by first pulling the leaves out of the plastic bag. Then, place a few leaves and stems into your mouth and chew on them for a minute before stuffing those leaves and stems, using your tongue, into the inner cheek on one side of your mouth. Continue chewing the leaves slowly, squeezing out the juice, while stuffing more and more leaves into your mouth the entire time until you have a bulge in your cheek the size of a watermelon. And then you repeat the process, over and over and over and over and over again, never spitting the growing mass of leaves out of your mouth.

3:00pm - Keep on chewing qat, crunching up those leaves and growing that bulge.

4:00pm - Don't stop now! Keep chewing.

5:00pm - You guessed it...chew away my friends!

6:00pm - The weakest qat chewers will now spit their mushy ball of chewed up leaves out of their mouth while the stronger ones will continue going for many hours more.

Some time in the night - The qat session finally comes to an end and you spit out the remaining qat from your mouth. You drink a cup of black tea and then you sit there on the cushioned floor of the mufrage, trying to engage in some conversation with the others around you until dinner is served or it's time for sleep.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF QAT?

As mentioned above, qat users get a bit excited and as a result, they will often become extremely talkative and hyper, spitting out words in such a rapid and animated fashion to anyone who will listen. However, it also seemed to me that just as many users I met were perfectly content to sit in silence, staring at the wall and minding their own business.

Behind the scenes, your blood pressure and heart rate increase, you lose your appetite and to top it off, you become constipated. Long term effects may include cancer of the mouth, depression and psychosis, all fun stuff.

MY EXPERIENCE CHEWING QAT

It was okay. Seemed like quite an effort for such a little buzz. The qat made me a bit spacey and somewhat hyper, and I had a good time as a result, but it took four hours of chewing leaves to get there. However, with a 65% unemployment rate in Yemen, I can understand the appeal. A quick high would leave most people with very little to do all afternoon and evening. Qat fills in the day.

But for me, all that chewing was a painstaking process as the inside of my mouth became sore and raw, the stuff kept me awake at night and I'm quite sure that it messed with my digestive system. And that's after only chewing qat for one week.

Would I do it again? Sure, simply because that's the thing to do in Yemen and in the end, it is a social activity. Had I not chewed qat I probably would not have had the same interactions and conversations with locals that I ended up having. Qat honestly helped bridge the tourist gap, allowing me to take a few more steps closer to the culture I wanted to learn about.

I could definitely have done without the constipation though.

Have you ever tried qat? Would you try it?

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Chewing Qat (aka "Getting High") In Yemen - Wandering Earl

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If there's one word that I heard more than any other during my stay in Yemen, it is the word 'qat'. And the reason that word is so important is because, at approximately 2pm every single day, the entire nation stops everything they are doing and focuses on qat and on qat only.

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Yemeni men talk about khat

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Inside a Yemeni Khat Session [BONUS SCENE] | Times Dispatched |  مشهد إضافي: في جلسة قات يمني

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Khat is grown in the Yemen and the Horn of Africa.

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Amid famine, Yemen's biggest crop is khat

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As Yemen's famine looms, the biggest crop isn't food - CNN Video

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Yemen's traditional drug has assumed a new life under the grueling war. Men and women chew the freshly-picked leaves for hours for an amphetamine-like effect. Amid dire predictions of famine in Yemen it's the nation's biggest crop.

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Banning khat in UK will only hurt economy

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Today, khat joined the range of prohibited substances that fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Those who distribute this Class C drug can now face 14 years imprisonment - the same maximum sentence that applies to individuals who cause death by dangerous driving, and four years more than the maximum penalty for sexual assault.

So what exactly is khat, and why has it attracted such harsh legislation?

Khat is a mixture of leaves and herbs that provides a mild stimulant sensation when chewed, and is most prevalently used in Britain by immigrant communities - predominantly those from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen. There is a long history of khat use in East Africa, and its consumption is nothing new to Western observers; in an 1856 journal article, Charles Dickens remarked that khat "[acts] upon the spirits of those using them, much as a strong dose of green tea acts upon us in Europe".

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The movement to criminalise khat in the UK first gained momentum in 2008, when Baroness Sayeeda Warsi outlined a desire to ban the substance - describing the plant as "addictive", "carcinogenic" and "beginning to tear apart the social fabric of certain communities".

However, Warsi's perceptions have been directly contradicted by academic research. Last year, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs - comprised of psychiatrists, professors and other experts from a range of backgrounds - conducted a study into the effects of khat use.

The ACMD stated that "khat has no direct causal link to adverse medical effects" and that "no robust evidence has been reported to demonstrate a causal link between khat consumption and the [societal] harms described". They concluded that it would be "inappropriate and disproportionate" for khat to be added to the growing list of prohibited substances.

The Government's decision to ignore this advice has attracted widespread criticism; Niamh Eastwood, director of Release - an independent group of drug policy experts - denounced the government for "once again" choosing to "ignore the evidence when it comes to drug policy".

As with the prohibition of many other drugs, the banning of khat will also lead to deeper and more dangerous social problems than its actual use. The estimated annual import value of khat in the UK was £13.8million, which brought in almost £3million in tax revenue each year.

Now that the market has been delegitimised and deregulated, it's inevitable that khat importation and distribution will be monopolised by criminal gangs who can raise prices, launder money, fund more destructive criminal enterprise, and of course, pay no sales tax into the system.

At the same time, khat users, who are primarily ethnic minorities from unrepresented and disadvantaged communities, can now be imprisoned for up to two years for mere possession.

Video: How does khat affect communities?

Danny Kushlick, founder of the UK-based Transform Drug Policy Foundation, castigated the government for implementing a law that ignores expert advice. "[It] creates a new income stream for organised crime [and] unnecessarily criminalises a minority group of Somalis and Yemenis", he said.

The prohibition of Khat yet another example of the uninformed and dangerous policies that characterise the ongoing failure of the UK's war on drugs. And it's not just one or two communities that are losing out, but all of us.

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Banning Khat is another pointless drug law that will do more harm than

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Today, khat joined the range of prohibited substances that fall under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Those who distribute this Class C drug can now face 14 years imprisonment - the same maximum sentence that applies to individuals who cause death by dangerous driving, and four years more than the maximum penalty for sexual assault.

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Should khat be banned?

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Khat, a stimulant drug, is chewed by around 90,000 people in the east African and Yemeni communities in the UK. But now the Home Office is considering banning the substance. Jamal Osman finds out why.

In an industrial estate in Southall, west London, thousands of boxes full of khat are delivered every week. The drug begins its journey from the hills of Kenya and arrives in the UK four times a week. It then makes its way to the depot, where dealers buy the herbal high to supply customers across the UK. The fresh leaves are chewed to achieve a state of mild euphoria. It has a stimulant effect similar to that of amphetamines.

Britain is the only country in the west where the product remains legal. The khat business generates over £400m in revenue for the British economy, and the chancellor of the exchequer also picks up a tidy sum in VAT revenue.

Around 90,000 people from the east African and Yemeni communities in the UK use it, especially the Somali community. But a Home Office report, which will be published on Wednesday, is to recommend regulating the product, and a ban is expected to follow later.

Not far from the depot in Southall lies Number 15, the best-known khat house in the country. Traditionally known as marfash, the khat house is open from midday till the early morning hours. Men sit around chewing the green leaf.

A little buzz

Mahdi Jama, a regular chewer in the marfash, cannot understand why anyone would bother people like him as the plant has been used for centuries by his community.

"It's like vegetable but it gives a little bit buzz," he said.

"It's like saying we'll ban alcohol because there are people who are alcoholic."

However, anti-khat campaigners say it "is destroying the whole community", causing health problems, unemployment and family breakdown. In particular, they are concerned about the spread of khat use among the younger generation, where the attitude is: "If it's legal, it must be safe to consume it."

Led by Abukar Awale, a former addict himself, the activists feel they are ever closer to achieving their objectives. It has been a long journey, however, and they have been trying to convince successive governments to listen.

It's like saying we'll ban alcohol because there are people who are alcoholic. Mahdi Jama, khat user

The campaign started seven years ago with weekly visits to local khat houses. Once a week, the activists distribute leaflets with information about the harmful effects of the drug. Most people support them, but occasionally they get into arguments with khat-chewers who do not welcome their message. To reach more people, Abukar Awale started his own television show: Check Before You Chew. It is a phone-in programme where the viewers share their experience of khat use on one of the Somali satellite stations.

They then started attending local government meetings to influence key decision makers. As a result, some local authorities with a sizeable Somali population, such as Hillingdon, called for the regulation of khat to "give local authorities, the police and government agencies greater powers to control its importation, sale and use".

During the last election, the activists met politicians, offering them community votes. In return, they wanted their support for the ban on khat. Some politicians accepted the offer and supported the mission. Sayeeda Warsi, minister for faith and communities, announced that "a future Conservative government would legislate to make khat a classified drug."

But the activists kept the pressure on the authorities. Playing the discrimination card, they accused the government of not taking the issue seriously since "it was not affecting real Brits".

In 2010, when "meow-meow" - or mephedrone - was banned following the deaths of a number of young people in the UK, the anti-khat campaigners jumped on the bandwagon. They wanted to exploit the links between khat and mephedrone. Mephedrone is a synthetic substance based on the cathinone compounds found in the khat plant. They argued that since khat is widely available in the UK, people will find ways of producing meow-meow.

Last year, counter-terrorism officers working with their American counterparts arrested seven individuals across the UK. The group - all of them khat traders - were suspected of channelling the proceeds of an alleged smuggling enterprise to al-Qaeda-linked Islamists in Somalia.

And last month, those pushing for a ban organised a demonstration outside Downing Street: pray for a ban. It was about praying to a superior power, God, who could simply tell David Cameron to ban khat. If the report calls for tougher control on khat, the activists will believe their prayers have been partially answered.

But Abukar Awale and his friends will not accept anything other than an all-out ban.

"We will challenge any other decision," he said.

"For the government, it's not about how harmful this product is, it's who is using it - and that is discrimination. Our lawyers have been preparing for this, and we will take legal action within the next three months."

Back in the khat house in Southall, the message from the chewers is defiant. They say they "are just going to carry on chewing what ever happens".

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Khat: a legal high, but should it be banned?

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Khat, a stimulant drug, is chewed by around 90,000 people in the east African and Yemeni communities in the UK. But now the Home Office is considering banning the substance. Jamal Osman finds out why. In an industrial estate in Southall, west London, thousands of boxes full of khat are delivered every week.