Scientists have warned a legal plant-based drug that is popular among British students could lead to both reckless driving and criminal behaviour.
Khat is a leaf obtained from a plant native to East Africa, which has been banned across America, Canada and most of Europe but remains legal in Britain.
When chewed, it creates feelings of mild euphoria, increased energy and enhanced self-esteem. However, it also lowers inhibitions with potentially dangerous results, scientists say.
The drug is used by millions of people in Africa – about 60 per cent of the population of Somalia and 80 percent of Yemeni’s used it regularly.
It has spread as ‘ethnic communities’ have migrated around the world, including to the UK.
The main ingredients of the plant are cathinone and cathine. Both are class C drugs in the UK, but the plant khat itself is not classified and can be bought openly in shops.
Lead researcher Lorenza Colzato from Netherlands’ Leiden University, said the spread of the drug was worrying.
‘We can show that khat makes users more impulsive. It is associated with loss of self-control which may have dangerous consequences,’ she said.
The cognitive psychologist added that long-term use of khat might even lead to reckless driving and criminal behaviour.
Researchers from the universities of Leiden, Amsterdam and Granada, launched a two-month research project looking at long-term khat users living in the Netherlands, where it is also legal.
Test subjects were asked to press a button as soon as a green arrow appeared on a screen. If the colour of the arrow turned red, they were not supposed to press any button.
‘In terms of accuracy and speed of response with the green arrows, khat users performed as well as non-users, but they found it much harder to restrain themselves when the arrow turned red,’ the team reported.
Ms Colzato said the project was the first research into the effects of long-term khat use on behaviour and cognitive functions.
They will now look at khat’s effects on memory and multi-tasking skills.
Last year, psychiatrist Dr Eleni Palezido warned that khat can be a catalyst for mental health problems.
‘When you stop taking khat all the dopamine (a chemical associated with feelings of pleasure in the brain) leaves your system, so people get depressed, they can get paranoid, hear voices and it can lead to a full blown psychotic state,’ she said.
By DAILY MAIL
