Khat

Video Transcript

“Khat is labeled as a mild drug, but they smile when we use the word, drug. ‘This is not a drug, it’s just Khat.’ It’s like someone from Texas chewing the tobacco. You can see that everywhere. It’s not a drug, it’s just caffeine, it’s a little bit of amphetamine, but it’s not a drug. More importantly, it’s a moment of socialization. They gather, they chew khat for one or two hours in the shade, you know, part of the nap time, very often. And they rebuild the world, and they talk, talk, talk, and talk. But there is no drug effect, although it is listed for us as a drug, but it’s not. But that’s part of a social activity that takes place during the day and [stops] every other activity. They don’t work.”

In this video, a cultural expert discusses khat.