Chewing khat has been and still is an integral part of many East African and Arabic cultures. The principal active ingredient in khat is an alkaloid called cathinone. Khat use involves slowly chewing fresh plant material over several hours to form a "quid" of softened leaves. The short-term effects of chewing khat -- euphoria, followed by insomnia and anorexia -- are similar to those of amphetamine, and there is some evidence to suggest that khat users may suffer psychotic experiences as a result of their habit. Khat-chewing practice varies slightly between regions, but in general it is an almost exclusively male activity that occurs in a highly social context. Khat is categorized as a drug of abuse by the World Health Organization, yet it is legally sold and openly used in many countries, including the United Kingdom. It is banned in the United States, where it will shortly be redesignated as a Schedule One drug in the same class as heroin, as well as Canada, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Italy, Finland, Norway, Switzerland, and Sweden. Although khat use was first recorded in 11th-century Ethiopia, there was apparently little concern about its consequences until the 1950's, when improved transportation and the rapid growth of urban areas, especially in East Africa, meant that khat dealers were able to reach new and expanded markets. After only a decade, the khat debate in the United Kingdom has reached a stalemate. On the one hand, there are dire warnings that khat could be the next drug crisis. On the other hand, khat is characterized as a sort of social glue that holds fragile immigrant communities together, and any interference would therefore be tantamount to racism. Neither of these positions can withstand serious scrutiny. Although there is some evidence that heavy users do experience a mild withdrawal syndrome with shaking, lassitude, and depression, there is no reliable support for the view that khat is addictive. Regular users have relatively long periods of abstinence without suffering physical symptoms; the real danger of khat is its use by certain sections of society to whom it poses a significant threat. 16 references