khat
MIRAA/ KHAT.
Is khat a drug?
Khat or as is commonly known as miraa, is a plant or an ever green bush/shrub grown in arid areas and native to horn of Africa. It is mainly grown in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and South Africa and it contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone and cathine mostly known for its stimulating effects. According to explorer sir Richard Burton, Khat was first grown in Ethiopia and later introduced to Yemen in the 15th century where it was considered as a divine food. It involves chewing of the leaves known as kad or the stems to release their stimulant chemicals and has been consumed for centuries. In Kenya it is mostly grown in the northern Rift valley that is the Krio Valley and eastern region where it is highly valued and mostly it is a male dominated affair. It is quite a perishable crop and thus it is harvested in the early hours of the morning and sold off immediately usually presented as a bundle of twigs stems and leaves wrapped in banana leaves to preserve freshness. Khat farming has some benefits to the farmers as it is mostly exported and thus earning farmers some money to sustain their families. It is a multi-million dollar industry and a cash crop that keeps on giving for many peasants who grow it playing a big role in the local economy. However, it has varied perceptions on whether or not; it can be labeled as a drug. The world health organization (WHO) classified it as a drug as it produced psychological dependence on the people who consumed it where by failure to chew miraa for some time would lead to various ailments such as withdrawal.
Khat chewing usually takes place in groups of a social setting hence taking long periods of time spent chewing and by so doing, it enhances social interaction and at the start. The group seems cheerful, optimistic, but after a long period of engaging in the act of chewing of miraa, tooth decay, tension, emotional instability, irritability begins to appear,
Is khat a drug?
Khat or as is commonly known as miraa, is a plant or an ever green bush/shrub grown in arid areas and native to horn of Africa. It is mainly grown in Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and South Africa and it contains a monoamine alkaloid called cathinone and cathine mostly known for its stimulating effects. According to explorer sir Richard Burton, Khat was first grown in Ethiopia and later introduced to Yemen in the 15th century where it was considered as a divine food. It involves chewing of the leaves known as kad or the stems to release their stimulant chemicals and has been consumed for centuries. In Kenya it is mostly grown in the northern Rift valley that is the Krio Valley and eastern region where it is highly valued and mostly it is a male dominated affair. It is quite a perishable crop and thus it is harvested in the early hours of the morning and sold off immediately usually presented as a bundle of twigs stems and leaves wrapped in banana leaves to preserve freshness. Khat farming has some benefits to the farmers as it is mostly exported and thus earning farmers some money to sustain their families. It is a multi-million dollar industry and a cash crop that keeps on giving for many peasants who grow it playing a big role in the local economy. However, it has varied perceptions on whether or not; it can be labeled as a drug. The world health organization (WHO) classified it as a drug as it produced psychological dependence on the people who consumed it where by failure to chew miraa for some time would lead to various ailments such as withdrawal.
Khat chewing usually takes place in groups of a social setting hence taking long periods of time spent chewing and by so doing, it enhances social interaction and at the start. The group seems cheerful, optimistic, but after a long period of engaging in the act of chewing of miraa, tooth decay, tension, emotional instability, irritability begins to appear,