YEMEN KHAT CONSUMPTION

Mild stimulant khat consumption in Yemen

epa10712902 Yemenis chew mild stimulant khat leaves during a social ceremony in Sana'a, Yemen, 18 June 2023 (issued 26 June 2023). Khat, a mildly narcotic plant with fresh leaves, has been a part of Yemeni culture for a long time and is used in virtually every social occasion since its production, sale and consumption are legal in the Arab country. An estimated 80 percent of war-ravaged Yemen's 30-million population chew the khat leaves daily to feel an amphetamine-like effect and stimulating mental activity which are progressively replaced by anxiety, reactive depression and insomnia. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified khat in 1980 as a drug of abuse that can produce mild psychological dependence, but less addictive than alcohol or tobacco. Khat is a banned substance in most world countries while it remains lawful in countries such as Yemen, Somalia and Ethiopia. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

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