ARCHIVED has been harvested. Khat samples in Contact Us which any level of cathinone is found General inquiries about NDIC are handled by by chemical analysis are treated as the Assistant Director for Policy and Schedule I plant material. Khat sam- Interagency Affairs at (202) 532-4040 or ples in which only cathine is detect- e-mail [email protected]. able by chemical analysis are treated as Schedule IV plant material. . Khat Addresses Fast Facts Check out Fast Facts on: Headquarters, Johnstown, PA • Crack cocaine National Drug Intelligence Center 319 Washington Street, 5th Floor • Crystal methamphetamine Johnstown, PA 15901-1622 • Drug paraphernalia Telephone: (814) 532-4601 • DXM FAX: (814) 532-4690 • Foxy • Fry Washington, DC • GHB and analogs National Drug Intelligence Center • Heroin U.S. Department of Justice Robert F. Kennedy Building, Room 1335 • Inhalants 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW • Jimsonweed Washington, DC 20530 • Ketamine Telephone: (202) 532-4040 • LSD • Marijuana Product Requests • MDMA Dissemination Coordinator • Methadone (814) 532-4541 • Methamphetamine Web Sites • OxyContin Questions NDIC publications are available on the following web sites: • PCP Internet • Powder cocaine and http://www.usdoj.gov/ndic/index.htm • Prescription drugs ADNET • Psilocybin Answers http://ndicosa.adnet.sgov.gov • Ritalin LEO • Rohypnol https://www.leo.gov/http://leowcs.leopriv.gov/lesig/ndic/index.htm • Salvia divinorum RISS • Steroids National Drug Intelligence Center ndic.riss.net a component of the • Teens and drugs U.S. Department of Justice • Triple C NDIC Product No. 2008-L0559-001 • Yaba Cover photo: NDIC 111708 This document may contain dated information. It has been made available to provide access to historical materials. ARCHIVED What is khat? How is khat used? What are the risks? Khat (Catha edulis) is a fl owering Fresh khat typically is chewed and Khat abuse causes psychological shrub native to East Africa and the then retained in the cheek and chewed dependence, and chronic abuse can Arabian Peninsula. The term khat intermittently until the juices are ex- lead to behavioral changes and mental refers to the leaves and young shoots tracted. Dried khat can be brewed into health impairment. Clinical symptoms of Catha edulis. The plant has been tea or made into a chewable paste. Less include manic behavior with grandiose widely used since the thirteenth centu- common methods of administering delusions, violence, suicidal depres- ry as a recreational drug by the indig- khat are smoking or sprinkling on food. sion, and schizophreniform psychosis enous people of East Africa, the Ara- Immediate effects of khat use include characterized by paranoid delusions. bian Peninsula, and the Middle East. increased heart and breathing rates, Chronic abuse can also produce physi- Individuals chew khat leaves because elevated body temperature and blood cal exhaustion, anorexia, periodontal of their stimulant and euphoric effects, pressure, and increased alertness, disease, and gastrointestinal illness. which are similar to, but less intense excitement, energy, and talkativeness. than, those resulting from the abuse of The effects of khat usually last between Is khat illegal? cocaine or methamphetamine. 90 minutes and 3 hours. After-effects of There is no licit use for khat in the khat use include lack of concentration, What does khat look like? United States. Khat contains two numbness, and insomnia. central nervous system stimulants: 1 When fresh, khat leaves are glossy Who uses khat? cathinone—a Schedule I drug under and crimson-brown in color, resembling the Federal Controlled Substances withered basil. Khat leaves typically The use of khat is accepted within Act—and cathine—a Schedule IV drug.2 begin to deteriorate 48 hours after be- Somali, Ethiopian, and Yemeni cul- Cathinone is the principal active stim- ing harvested from the shrub on which tures; in the United States, khat use ulant; its levels are highest in fresh they grow. Deteriorating khat leaves are is most prevalent among immigrants khat. Once the plant is harvested, leathery and turn yellow-green. from those countries. Abuse levels are cathinone levels begin to decline; cool- highest in cities with sizable immigrant ing the cut plant material reduces the populations from Somalia, Ethiopia, rate of decline. In dried or dehydrated and Yemen, such as Boston, Colum- khat, also known as Graba, cathinone bus, Dallas, Detroit, Kansas City, Los may be detected for many months or Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New even years. Cathine, which is about York City, and Washington, D.C. 10 times less potent than cathinone, remains stable in khat after the plant

Street Terms for Khat 1. Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act Abyssinian tea Miraa (CSA) are classifi ed as having a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in the United States, African salad Oat and a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under Bushman’s tea Qat medical supervision. Chat Somali tea 2. Schedule IV drugs under the CSA are classifi ed as having a low potential for abuse relative to the drugs Gat Tohai or other substances in Schedule III, a currently ac- cepted medical use in the United States, and abuse of Graba Tschat the drug may lead to limited physical dependence or Kat psychological dependence relative to the drugs or other

NDIC substances in Schedule III. This document may contain dated information. It has been made available to provide access to historical materials.