Agenda item
Khat in Brent
Members of the Health Partnerships Overview and Scrutiny Committee have asked for a report from NHS Brent on Khat use in the borough. Members have concerns about the prevalence of Khat use in parts of Brent and were keen to know more about the problems associated with this drug. The NHS Brent paper is attached at appendix 1 to this cover note.
Since the request was made for the report, officers in the Strategy, Partnerships and Improvement Unit have been approached by members suggesting that a task group is established to investigate in more detail the use of Khat in Brent and the consequences it has on users and their families. There is capacity within the unit to support this work if the Health Partnerships Overview and Scrutiny Committee want to establish a task group.
Minutes:
This report was in response to members’ concerns expressed at the prevalence of khat use in parts of Brent which led to their request for more information about the problems associated with this drug. The NHS Brent paper attached to the report provided useful information to members about khat.
Members noted that khat was openly sold in shops in the Church End area where the majority of people of Somalian origin resided. Khat (Catha edulis) was a flowering shrub native to northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula chewed by individuals for its stimulant effects, similar to but less intense than those caused by abusing cocaine or methamphetamine. Khat typically was ingested by chewing the leaves, brewed in tea or cooked and added to food. After ingesting khat, the user experienced an immediate increase in blood pressure and heart rate, the effects of the drug generally subsiding between 90 minutes and 3 hours after ingestion, however, they can last up to 24 hours. (There have been reports of Khat-induced psychosis.) The drug was also known to be able to cause damage to the nervous, respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems.
The use of khat was accepted within the Somali, Ethiopian, and Yemeni cultures, and in the United States khat use was most prevalent among immigrants from those countries. Abuse levels were highest in cities with sizable populations of immigrants from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen.
A khat support group was already offered through Addaction in Cobbold Road with outreach and engagement services to be undertaken by CRI Brent Outreach and Engagement Team (BOET). It was noted that counselling services and support would be provided for khat users and their families through two sites (Wembley Centre for Health and Care and the Cobbold Road Treatment and Recovery Service). In addition, funding would be sought in partnership with Brent Council Community Safety Unit to develop a work programme in partnership with the Help Somalia Foundation for a Peer Mentoring Project with Somalian youth in the Church End area. This would assist in raising awareness of khat misuse and improve awareness of local treatment provision and access to GP practices.
Mr Ali Awes a member from the Somali community who was in attendance gave his views on khat use. He informed the Committee that individuals who abused khat typically experienced a state of mild depression following periods of prolonged use. Taken in excess khat could cause extreme thirst, hyperactivity, insomnia, and loss of appetite (which can lead to anorexia). He continued that frequent khat use often led to decreased productivity because the drug tended to reduce the user’s motivation and that repeated use could cause manic behaviour with grandiose delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations.
Mr Ali Awes added that he was working with other London Boroughs including Camden on ways to stop and to address the problems associated with khat use and would therefore be happy to be involved with the future work of the task group on khat.
RESOLVED:
that the report on Khat be noted and an overview and scrutiny task group looking into the impact of khat in Brent be established.
Supporting documents: