Miraa Khat bad for mental health, study shows

New evidence gathered among Somali refugees living in Eastleigh, Nairobi, shows miraa or khat can lead to serious mental health problems, especially when chewed in large amounts.

A report published on Wednesday by the universities of Nairobi, Konstanz of Germany and Minnesota, US, and the Africa Mental Health Foundation provides new evidence that could boost recent calls by Muslim leaders to ban the trade of the product at the Coast.

The researchers in a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, and which specifically targeted Somali refugees living in Eastleigh, say most of them are heavy consumers of the herb and are showing signs of ill health.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates there are about 30,000 Somali refugees living in Eastleigh.

"We found severe khat-use patterns with long sessions and high average amount of use," says the study, which was led by Marina Widmann and Abdulkadir Hussein Warsame of Konstanz and Nairobi universities respectively.

The refugees, the researchers say, are already stressed because of their past experiences and most seek for solace in miraa which ends up worsening their mental health.
Three-quarters of the users were found to suffer from various types of khat-induced psychological symptoms such as depression, delusions, confused and disturbed thoughts.

"We also found the existence of an extreme user group with very noxious khat-consumption patterns that include prolonged use for over 24 hours. Almost all these users experienced khat-related psychotic symptoms," says the report.

Some were found to chew miraa for a continuous period of 28 hours and spending more than a day in unbroken sleep.

The male refugees participating in the study were found to consume an average of 16 retail bundles per week per individual, which was deemed to be significantly high by the researchers.

The highest use of miraa has been documented by the same team in the southern region of Kismayo where militiamen use up 21 retail units per week.

"Our study confirms a high association of psychological symptoms and khat use and further shows that the use of huge amounts of the herb can lead to mental health disorders," conclude the researchers.
The study builds to increasing local evidence which seems to support the recent classification of miraa as a drug in the UK. The UK has since banned export of miraa in the country which has greatly angered khat farmers and politicians mainly from Meru.

The leaders have interpreted the UK move as a wider campaign by the West to hurt Kenyans but the piling scientific evidence about the leafs' health hazards could justify the calls for a ban.

During the Eid al-Fitr celebrations on Tuesday, Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho and several political leaders called for a ban on miraa trade in the region.

Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi and his Jomvu counterpart Badi Twalib asked Governor Joho to ban khat, saying it was destroying lives of youths and marriages.

By: Standard Digital News

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Khat consumers’ dilemma: Mafrash, Mosque or the British Pub?

 
Officially, Khat is illegal in the UK. The debate over the pros and the cons of the ban is still raging not only in this country, but across the world, particularly in countries where Khat is produced and consumed

For the pro-camps, the UK government has done the right thing, which should have been done long time ago.  For them, their argument and the voice of the families, addicts and others who have suffered under the influence of the stimulant plant has been heard by the government. To them, the day has come when families will be healed from the trauma and the distress caused by the consumption of the drug. To their satisfaction, days when children missed school or truanted due to their addict parents’ neglect  are numbered and the ban will put some common sense back into the minds of these drug crazed parents.


They believe that the phenomenon of neglected children taken by social services because of the failure of their addict parents will be a thing of the past. This is a new phenomenon to the UK’s Somali community where some children are being taken by the state only to be given to lesbian or gay parents, perceived by the community as an outrageous act of betrayal by the state as it’s against their culture.

To them, young minds ruined by the use of Khat will be healed and used to their benefit and others. Unemployment – caused by laziness and lethargy induced by the use of drug – will be reduced, as sober minds will seek employment in this competitive British labour market. Physical and mental health issues among Khat consuming communities will be improved as the drug, which they associate with physical and mental health problems, will be taken off the streets. Indeed, suppliers, users and addicts will think twice before attempting to break the law; the ban will help push the drug out of people’s reach.

To the pro-camp, Somalia’s contemporary history supports the British government’s action. In 1980s, the military regime banned Khat to curb some socio-economic problems (e.g. marriage breakdowns, unemployment and physical and mental health) it associated with the drug.  At the time, supporters of the ban believed the government did the right thing because some sort of law was needed to combat problems associated with Khat.
Believe or not, there were huge markets in major cities, such as the Sinai  market, which was dedicated to the supply and the consumption of the green plant.  Fridays, Mogadishu’s Khat consuming community e.g. ordinary people, middle class people and civil servants congregated at markets to see the weekend through.

And lastly, the pro-ban group believe the ban will help the Somali community integrate with the wider British community because healed minds will be forced to adventure out into the wider community, seeking employment and other business interests.  Isolation and loneliness will be a thing of the past.

To the opponents of the ban, the government has banned a popular recreational drug used by people in East Africa and Asia as past-time habit and in social events.  To them, to chew this green plant is un-harmful habit and one of the best ways to spend good quality time with friends and relatives, just as going to an English pub with good friends at weekends is a good way of socialising with your own community.

When it comes to the negative side effects of the use of Khat, they argue that it is more or less the same as the consumption of any other drugs e.g. alcohol. Use it too much and you are down the gutter, use it sensibly and you have the best of both worlds: recreational mild drug for socialising, and a booming business associated with Khat, creating much needed jobs in the community.

From the experiences of banning other drugs, it is very likely the Khat business will just go under-ground, becoming more expensive and dangerous to suppliers, consumers, and the wider community. This means long-term jail terms for suppliers, unregulated expensive Khat market emptying users’ pockets, and a wider economic fall out as income generated from Khat will be lost in an already marginalised community.

To them, the British government, having ignored recommendations by its own scientific advisory committee, has taken a politically motivated action intended to target one particular community heavily involved in the Khat business. The ban is not intended to helping or caring for this invisible community that is already at the bottom of the British, but to further marginalise it and worse to criminalise some sections of the community.

They compare the UK government’s ban with the Somali government’s ban of the drug in Somalia in 1980s when the government was accused of oppressing a particular community (clan) that was heavily involved with the Khat business. At the time of the ban, this particular clan was perceived as supporting rebels in the north-west region of Somalia, and the act was seen as a punishment. The UK government’s motivation to ban the drug seems similar to the Somali government’s one because it is targeting a community that is already stigmatised as a supporter of terrorism. Money generated by the Khat business was perceived funding terrorist groups in Somalia and therefore the action is not done in a good faith, but as means to achieve political ends: to force the community to act like the wider British society, i.e. do not chew Khat, but drink beer instead.

And finally, opponents of the ban argue that the ban will encourage some vulnerable sections of the community to join radical groups through brainwashing in mosques. Having been denied of their long-term past-time cultural habit, it is only human nature to seek alternative ways to fill their psychological void and emptiness resulting from the ban. The best option and the one they know to overcome the new anxiety is to go to the mosque to recommit themselves to the worship of their Allah. For most Somalis, praying five times a day and their lives will be filled with meaning and joy. Hence the outcome of the ban is more radicalisation of an already isolated and vulnerable community.

To a committed Muslim community like Somalis, one of the worse things that an individual could do is to seek refuge in alcoholism, hence as one of their cultural entertainment has been banned, some individuals may join queues of the English Pub to fill in the void in their lives thus more alcoholics in the community causing more social problems.

The question is would then the UK government ban alcohol to save Somalis from the well known dangers of alcoholism?!!  I do not think so for obvious reasons.

Only time will tell which argument of both camps will prevail in the future.

By Muuse Yuusuf
Mareeg Media

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Somali Pirates and Khat

Rule #1 for Pirate Hostages: Don’t Get Stoned

Don’t get high, don’t piss anyone off, and try to smile every once in a while: These are just some of the handy tips that can help you make your captivity in the hands of Somali pirates more enjoyable. The waters around the Horn of Africa are getting more dangerous for seafarers.

Hijackings by Somali pirates are on the upswing this year, deadly shootouts with mercs and hijack attempts against warships continue and pirates are holding hostages for as long as 13 months.

EU Navfor, the European Union’s naval forces countering piracy off the coast of Somalia, has responded to this crisis with a handy pamphlet, “Surviving Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia,” containing all the wisdom you need to make the most of your captivity.
One tip from elementary school is particularly helpful: Just say no to drugs. Khat is a leaf with amphetamine-like effects common in Somalia, particularly among pirates, and may be available to you while detained on board your captured ship.  Though borrowing from your captors’ stash may provide you with some “temporary relief” from the drudgery of captivity, it can bad for your health in the form on an acute pirate beatdown. The “negative effects of withdrawal symptoms and increased tension due to cravings,” the pamphlet warns,  can irritate your pirate hosts and result in “unnecessary violence.” In other words, nobody likes a cranky junky, particularly not pirates, so be smart and politely decline if offered drugs.

Khat crankiness applies to pirates, as well, so keep your distance. “If the pirates on board your vessel use this or other drugs,” Navfor warns, “you should be careful to avoid any confrontations whilst they are under the influence of such substances.”
Which leads to another piece of penetrating insight from EU Navfor: It is vitally important that you not annoy the armed men standing all around you.  As the pamphlet says, “piracy is a business.” Your hosts have an incentive to keep you alive and in relatively good health while they seek ransom for you and your ship. But if you try to pull a Steven Seagal circa Under Siege on them, the cost-benefit calculation of keeping you alive, should you fail, will shift against your favor. Navfor recommends you “be cooperative.” “The pirates may stage violence or acts of intimidation,” but that’s all just part of the negotiating process. When asked to “pose for photographs, or muster on deck in clear view,” do so promptly. The photos help the pirates prove you’re still alive and good attendance at mustering time can avert a potentially lethal misunderstanding about your whereabouts.
Also, as with everything in life, a smile goes a long way.  When interacting with your pirate hosts, Navfor’s pamphlet advises you to be “good-humoured” because “you are less likely to be the subject of abuse or violence if you are ‘liked’ by your captors.” You will have to improvise your own charm offensive, however. More specific tips on how to win friends and influence pirates are not provided.
You might want to brush up on your kidnapping survival skills now. It remains unclear whether pirates will furnish you with a copy once you are captured.

Photo: EU Navfor
By Adam Rawnsley

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