Hiiraan Online
Thursday, July 3, 2014
A week after the ban: Khat is still around but positive effects of ban felt by most.
Just over a week after the Khat ban, there is an acceptance that it is finally gone forever in the UK. That is not to say that it has not been around for a few days after the ban as it continues to circulate illegally in a semi decomposed form. The Khat ban in the UK came into force last Monday (24th June 2014) and it is and will continue to be illegal to use, sell or import for any citizen. Those caught will face fines with the worst offence, supplying, carrying up to 14 years imprisonment.
Most Khat users and sellers have heeded the warning and have been deterred by the criminal sanctions and the stigma that follows it but there a few who continue to chew and supply Khat despite the ban.
“Yesterday Khat was £8 a bunch in Bristol and £10 in London but the quality is bad,” complained a user who has been chewing since the Khat ban. “The sellers bought a large amount before the ban and they are storing it somewhere to sell to us.”
“The first week the Police said that they will not be so aggressive but next week I think they will begin to start policing properly,” said another user who was nearly caught carrying Khat in his car for personal use when he was stopped by the Police on the day of the ban on his way home from work in Manchester.
In London two men that claimed to have been given the £60 on the spot fine for carrying Khat after the ban protested that it was harsh and that the Police ought to have given them a grace period. However, both understood that Khat at the time they were carrying it was a class C drug.
“How can I just give up like that? I need time to change and I need help,” said one of the men allegedly fined by the Police. When asked had he sought support, he said he had not because he did not know where to go.
The availability of Khat, even after the ban, is not a surprise to the Police officers interviewed for this article in West London who stated that there will be those suppliers who have stocked up before the ban but they insisted that the Policing guidelines will be followed by them where they see a violation of the law by a khat user, supplier or sellers.
The khat ban was justified by the British Home Secretary Theresa May and then on the day of the ban exclusively for Hiiraan Online, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron on the grounds of harmful social impact. David Cameron stated that Khat’s social impact has resulted in family breakdown, poverty and disproportionate unemployment within the affected communities.
The Somali community’s mood even after a week of the ban is slightly divided but popular public opinion within it overwhelmingly supports the ban.
“The majority of the Somali people are happy and have seen the benefits of the Khat ban on our community, families and our businesses,” said Yusuf Salah a community activist and a mental health advocate. “The ban has made people come together and in this holy month of Ramadan it is a blessing to see so many former Khat users and abusers slowly reforming their lives.”
Khat users who responsibly gave up using the drug since the ban last Tuesday have mixed feelings about the overall policy but on the whole agree on the positive outcomes on their lives.
“It is strange because I am now waking up at 8am and going to bed by like 11pm and this was never the case,” said a former Khat user who did not want to be identified in West London. “It is strange walahi but it is nice to be like other normal people and live and look for work at the right times in the day.”
“I used to chew responsibly on the weekends because of work but now I do not chew I just stay home with my family or go to the coffee shop to watch the world cup and then return home early,” added his friend. “It is boring but I guess you have to have hobbies.”
In Wembley high street in West London 3 former Mafrishes are now closed and the owners have vacated the premises. Somali residents, business owners and shoppers on the high street have noticed the difference the Khat ban has brought to their community.
“Now the coffee shops and restaurants are full in the evening because it is Ramadan and the anti social behaviour of former Khat users on the high street has diminished,” said Mustafa Ahmed a long term resident of Wembley. “The only problem is that Ramadan is generally quiet and we might see the real effects of the ban after Eid.”
“There are people I had not seen in years suddenly appear from nowhere after the Khat ban,” added another resident. “Some of these people are deemed to be new residents now despite living in Wembley for years.”
Service providers in health, education and supported housing that were approached in London and Bristol all agreed that their service use by former Khat users has gone up after last week’s ban.
“Whether it is benefit sanction from the Department for Work and Pensions, assistance with looking for work, sign posting to other specialist agencies, or even translating a letter, service use has risen just in our local area of Barton Hill,” said Abdullahi Farah the manager of the Bristol Somali Resource Centre in Bristol.
“Since the onset of the Khat ban we have noticed a considerable increase in the engagement of those service users who used to chew Khat,” said Rachel Sharp support team leader at Ashley Community Housing, an award winning specialist Housing Association which provides tailored support and training services for its tenants and local communities in Bristol and Birmingham. “The numbers attending our weekly job club is increasing and those seeking advice and actually enrolling for courses such English language is rising.”
“The success of the Khat ban so far is also that we are seeing tenants and service users who used to chew khat actually establishing routines and actively seeking support to move into employment, education and skills based training,” added Tom Dixon a support worker at Ashley community Housing.
The Khat ban is already just over a week old and the fact of the ban is obvious and slowly sinking in if it has not already. The effects of the ban so far have been positive but it is early days for this judgement to be conclusive according those who initially and continue to oppose the ban.