Khat and mouse
Banning the east African stimulant may backfire
OUTSIDE a newsagent’s shop in the Clapham Road, a south London thoroughfare, a man sucks on a rolled-up cigarette and asks passers-by whether they want to buy some cannabis. But shoppers seem more interested in khat, a mild narcotic popular with Ethiopians, Somalis and Yemenis. Inside, the shopkeeper pulls out bundles of the yellowish leaf and explains that it is the last batch he will sell. “After tomorrow, they stop, no more,” he says.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Khat and mouse”
From the June 28th 2014 edition
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