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Khat is the latest psychoactive plant based substance to become available on a global market. In contrast to other traditional substances, the use of khat is expanding rapidly, as a result of the dispersion of people from the Horn of Africa and particularly from Somalia as consequence of ongoing civil war, and because production and consumption is increasing across Africa. The sudden arrival of khat in new settings poses challenges to the regulatory arrangements of societies where the drug was hitherto unknown. Yet, there is also an opportunity to weigh the risks and dangers against the benefits of the khat trade and move towards a system of regulation based on evidence and guided by the principles of containing harm and maximizing benefits. There are strong arguments for harnessing the positive aspects of the khat economy, with particular regard to rural livelihoods, processing industries, regional trade and tax revenues in one of the poorest and economically fragile parts of the world. Ultimately, the framework for khat may provide both a model and an opportunity for revising the international treaties governing the control of other plant based substances. AbstractKhat is the latest psychoactive plant based substance to become available on a global market. In contrast to other traditional substances, the use of khat is expanding rapidly, as a result of the dispersion of people from the Horn of Africa and particularly from Somalia as consequence of ongoing civil war, and because production and consumption is increasing across Africa. The sudden arrival of khat in new settings poses challenges to the regulatory arrangements of societies where the drug was hitherto unknown. Yet, there is also an opportunity to weigh the risks and dangers against the benefits of the khat trade and move towards a system of regulation based on evidence and guided by the principles of containing harm and maximizing benefits. There are strong arguments for harnessing the positive aspects of the khat economy, with particular regard to rural livelihoods, processing industries, regional trade and tax revenues in one of the poorest and economically fragile parts of the world. Ultimately, the framework for khat may provide both a model and an opportunity for revising the international treaties governing the control of other plant based substances.

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