Khat

Cathinone

Qat, Kat, Chat, Miraa, Gat

Catha edulis Forsk. (Celastraceae)

Psychoactive Class

Stimulant

Chemical Class

Phenethylamine Cathinone

Khat (Catha edulis) is a flowering shrub native to eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, whose fresh leaves are chewed for their stimulant properties.¹ The plant contains cathinone, a phenethylamine alkaloid that produces sociability, excitement, mild appetite suppression, and euphoria.¹ Khat chewing holds thousands of years of cultural significance in East African and Yemeni communities, comparable to coca leaf use in South America.² The WHO classifies it as a drug of abuse capable of producing psychological dependence.²

Dosage & Duration

Dosage

Chewed leaves release cathine and cathinone, which are absorbed through the oral mucous membranes and the stomach lining. Cathinone decomposes within about 48 hours of the leaves drying, leaving the milder cathine, so potency varies substantially with the freshness of the plant material.

Duration

Onset15+ minutes

Peak15-30 minutes

After Effects1-10 hours

Total30-120 minutes

Half-life

~3 hours (cathine)

Subjective Effects

Khat produces a mild, socially oriented stimulation that has been compared to the effects of strong coffee, arriving faster than orally administered amphetamine at roughly fifteen minutes after chewing begins. The state is characterized by euphoria, excitement, and a marked increase in talkativeness, and is traditionally sustained across long communal chewing sessions. Prolonged consumption is described as producing an uplifted mood and a sense of release from time and space, while heavier or more excessive use can shade into manic behaviour and hyperactivity resembling that of amphetamine.

Physical

The body effects are those of a mild sympathomimetic stimulant: wakefulness that readily extends into insomnia, raised heart rate and blood pressure, and prominently dilated pupils. Appetite is reliably suppressed, and constipation is a common accompaniment.

Autonomic

Cardiovascular

Increased blood pressure

Stimulation

Uncomfortable

Constipation

Cognitive

The headspace is bright and outward-facing, with elevated mood, confidence, alertness, and improved concentration, which is why the plant is used by drivers and students to sustain attention. Users become notably verbose and sociable, though excessive use can bring disinhibition, disordered thought, and in rare cases hypomanic or psychotic presentations.

Emotional

Increased music appreciation

Enhancements

Stimulation

Psychological

Social

Reagent Testing

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Expected colorimetric results are being prepared.

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

Khat's stimulant effects are primarily mediated by cathinone and cathine, two phenylpropanolamine alkaloids structurally related to amphetamine.³ Cathinone, the more potent constituent found in fresh leaves, demonstrates high affinity for serotonin receptors⁴ and inhibits the reuptake of epinephrine and norepinephrine,³ producing wakefulness and euphoria.⁵ Cathine acts upon adrenergic receptors to cause release of epinephrine and norepinephrine.⁶ Both compounds produce sympathomimetic effects including increased heart rate and blood pressure.⁵

Pharmacokinetics

When khat leaves are chewed, cathine and cathinone are absorbed through the oral mucosa and gastric lining.⁷ Cathinone is rapidly metabolized, with effects peaking after 15 to 30 minutes and nearly 98% of the substance converted to norephedrine by the liver.¹⁷ Cathine has a half-life of approximately three hours in humans.⁷ Cathinone is unstable and degrades to cathine and norephedrine within 48 hours when leaves dry.³

Tolerance

Cross Tolerance

Stimulants, Cathinones, Amphetamines

Harm Potential

Addiction & Dependence

Psychological

Low

Classified by the WHO as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence, considered less addictive than tobacco or alcohol.⁶ The WHO does not consider khat addiction to be a serious global problem.⁶

Toxicity

Cardiovascular

Sympathomimetic effects cause increased heart rate and blood pressure during use;⁸ long-term heavy use may be associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction, though evidence remains limited.⁸

Gastrointestinal

Regular use commonly results in constipation;⁹ chronic heavy use may increase susceptibility to ulcers.¹⁰

Oral

Long-term use can cause permanent tooth darkening with a greenish tinge;¹¹ there may be an increased risk of oral cancer with chronic heavy use.¹²

Reproductive

Use during pregnancy has been associated with increased likelihood of adverse outcomes.¹³

Carcinogenicity

Possible

Long-term use has been associated with increased risk of oral cancer.¹²

Psychosis Risk

Occasionally a psychotic episode can result, resembling a hypomanic state in presentation.⁶ Psychosis in extreme cases may occur in genetically predisposed individuals. The relationship between khat consumption and psychiatric disorders requires further research.⁶

History & Culture

Origins and Early Documentation

Khat (Catha edulis) is a flowering plant native to eastern and southeastern Africa, with a history of cultivation originating in the Harar area of present-day eastern Ethiopia.¹⁴ The plant likely originated in the Horn of Africa, specifically the Ethiopia-Somali…

Legality

By Country

AustraliaRestrictedProhibited import

Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956; Poisons Standard¹⁹²⁰

Catha edulis, also called khat, is a prohibited import under Commonwealth customs regulations. Cathinone is also scheduled in the Poisons Standard, while additional possession and supply rules are administered by states and territories.

ChileIllegalLista I

Decreto Supremo Nº 405 de 1983, Reglamento de Productos Psicotrópicos²³²⁴²⁵

Chile places cathinone ("Catinona"), the psychoactive constituent of khat, in Lista I of the Reglamento de Productos Psicotrópicos. The regulation defines a psychotropic preparation as any solution or mixture in any physical state containing a listed drug and prohibits the importation, production, preparation, sale, possession and holding of Lista I drugs and preparations, except for scientific research authorized by the Instituto de Salud Pública. Decree Supremo Nº 867 expressly classifies Catha edulis (Khat) as a plant producing narcotic or psychotropic substances; under article 8 of Law Nº 20.000, unauthorized sowing, planting, cultivation or harvesting is punishable by imprisonment and a fine of 40 to 400 monthly tax units.

DenmarkIllegalList A

Bekendtgørelse om euforiserende stoffer²⁹³⁰

Catha edulis is treated as a euphoric substance in Danish official control material, with cathinone identified as its active component. Cathinone is also named in the current controlled-substances order.

IrelandIllegalControlled drug

Misuse of Drugs Act 1977 (Controlled Drugs) (Declaration) Order 1993, SI 328/1993³³

Khat is a controlled drug in Ireland. The order defines it as the leaves of Catha edulis.

New ZealandIllegalClass B

Misuse of Drugs Act 1975³⁷

Cathinone and cathine are Class B controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Khat containing those controlled substances is subject to the Act’s restrictions on controlled-drug material.

PhilippinesIllegalSchedule I

Republic Act No. 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002)^40414243

Khat (Catha edulis; qat) is prohibited in the Philippines because cathinone, its major psychoactive component, is listed as a Schedule I dangerous drug in Republic Act No. 9165. Effective 4 July 2002, the Act prohibits unauthorized importation, sale, transport, possession, and manufacture of dangerous drugs and penalizes cultivation of a plant that is a source of a dangerous drug. The incorporated 1971 Convention treats a mixture containing a psychotropic substance as a preparation subject to the same controls, and Dangerous Drugs Board Regulation No. 5 expressly identifies cathinone as a major psychoactive component of khat. Accordingly, khat material containing cathinone is controlled as the Schedule I substance rather than requiring a separate species listing.

SingaporeIllegalControlled drug

Misuse of Drugs Act 1973⁴⁷⁴⁸

Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act criminalizes possession, trafficking, manufacture, importation, exportation, and consumption of controlled drugs. Cathinone is scheduled under the Act, bringing khat material containing it within that control framework.

SwitzerlandIllegalTableau d

Ordonnance du DFI sur les tableaux des stupéfiants, des substances psychotropes, des précurseurs et des adjuvants chimiques (OTStup-DFI; RS 812.121.11)⁵³⁵⁴⁵⁵

Les feuilles de khat (Catha edulis) sont expressément inscrites au tableau d de l’OTStup-DFI, qui regroupe les stupéfiants interdits. Sans autorisation exceptionnelle de l’OFSP, leur culture, importation, fabrication et mise dans le commerce, y compris le commerce, le transfert et le transport, sont interdits; la possession ou l’acquisition non autorisée est pénalement réprimée. L’ordonnance est entrée en vigueur le 1er juillet 2011.

AustriaIllegalSuchtgift

Suchtmittelgesetz; Suchtgiftverordnung²¹²²

Cathinone is treated as a narcotic drug and cathine as a psychotropic substance under Austrian controlled-substances law. Austria’s Supreme Court holds that harvesting khat tips and leaves produces the controlled substances in that plant material.

Czech RepublicIllegalSeznam č. 4

Government Regulation No. 463/2013 Coll., on the lists of addictive substances, together with Act No. 167/1998 Coll., on addictive substances²⁶²⁷²⁸

Khat (Catha edulis) is controlled as a preparation containing cathinone (Kathinon), which Government Regulation No. 463/2013 Coll. places in Seznam č. 4 psychotropních látek. The Act on Addictive Substances defines a preparation as a solution or mixture in any physical state containing a scheduled addictive substance, so khat plant material containing cathinone is covered without a species-specific listing. Its production, processing, storage, supply, purchase, and sale require authorization; List 4 substances and preparations may be used only for limited research, scientific, and very limited therapeutic purposes specified in that authorization. The regulation has applied since 1 January 2014.

IndiaIllegalSchedule I

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985³¹³²

Cathine and cathinone are scheduled psychotropic substances under the NDPS Act. The Act regulates operations involving psychotropic substances and their preparations, so khat material containing the scheduled alkaloids is controlled.

ItalyIllegalTabella I

D.P.R. 9 October 1990, no. 309³⁴³⁵³⁶

Khat has been listed as “Catha edulis pianta” in Table I since Law 16 May 2014, no. 79. Without the authorization required by the Act, cultivating, producing, selling, importing, exporting, distributing, or unlawfully possessing a Table I substance outside the personal-use provisions is a criminal offence under article 73.

NorwayIllegalForbudt etter § 5

Forskrift om narkotika (narkotikaforskriften) (FOR-2013-02-14-199)³⁸³⁹

Khat (Catha edulis) is listed directly in Norway’s Narcotics Regulation (narkotikaforskriften) as prohibited narcotics under § 5. The regulation prohibits manufacture, acquisition, sale, import, export, storage, possession and use unless an exception is granted for medical or scientific needs. Catha edulis has been listed since 24 January 1989, when the amendment adding it entered into force.

PolandIllegalGrupa I-N

Rozporządzenie Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 17 sierpnia 2018 r. w sprawie wykazu substancji psychotropowych, środków odurzających oraz nowych substancji psychoaktywnych (tekst jednolity: Dz.U. 2024 poz. 1139)⁴⁴⁴⁵⁴⁶

Khat (Catha edulis) has been listed in Poland as a Group I-N narcotic drug since 8 May 2009; the current schedule expressly covers live plants, dried material, seeds, extracts, and extract preparations. Group I-N narcotic drugs may be used only for medical, industrial, or research purposes. Unlawful possession is punishable by up to three years’ imprisonment; unlawful manufacture or processing is likewise punishable, and unlawful dealing carries a fine plus six months to eight years’ imprisonment.

SwedenIllegalFörteckning I

Läkemedelsverkets föreskrifter (LVFS 2011:10) om förteckningar över narkotika^49505152

The above-ground parts of the khat plant (Catha edulis) have been classified as narcotics in Sweden since 1 November 1989 and are listed in Förteckning I; Annex 1 to the Narcotics Control Ordinance (1992:1554) expressly deems them narcotics. Unauthorised possession, use, manufacture, transfer, transport, storage, and other handling are narcotics offences under the Narcotic Drugs Penal Law (1968:64).

United Arab EmiratesIllegalSchedule 4

Federal Decree by Law No. (30) of 2021 On Combating Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances⁵⁶⁵⁷

Federal Decree by Law No. (30) of 2021 lists khat leaves (Catha edulis) in Schedule 4, Section 1 as a natural narcotic, and separately lists khat of all kinds and names among plants prohibited from cultivation or possession in Section 2. The law prohibits importing, exporting, transporting, producing, manufacturing, bringing in, possessing, acquiring, cultivating, or otherwise dealing in khat except as authorised. It has applied since 2 January 2022.

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