horn of africa specifically ethiopia, from there it spread to kenya and the arabian peninsula. according to ninteenth century british explorer richard burton, khat originated in the emirate of harar. muslim sufis in the surrounding areas also used it to intensify their mystical experience and to facilitate a sense of union with god. the earliest known documented description of khat is found in the kitab al-saidala fi al-tibb كتاب الصيدلة في الطب, an 11th-century work on pharmacy and materia medica written by abū rayhān al-bīrūnī, a persian scientist and biologist. unaware of its origins, al-bīrūnī wrote that khat is: commodity from turkestan. it is sour to taste and slenderly made in the manner of batan-alu. but khat is reddish with a slight blackish tinge. it is believed that batan-alu is red, coolant, relieves biliousness, and is a refrigerant for the stomach and the liver. it is mentioned again in a 13th-century publication by the physician naguib ad-din. in 1854, malay author abdullah bin abdul kadir noted that the custom of chewing khat was prevalent in al hudaydah in yemen: you observed a new peculiarity in this city – everyone chewed leaves as goats chew the cud. there is a type of leaf, rather wide and about two fingers in length, which is widely sold, as people would consume these leaves just as they are; unlike betel leaves, which need certain condiments to go with them, these leaves were just stuffed fully into the mouth and munched. thus when people gathered around, the remnants from these leaves would pile up in front of them. when they spat, their saliva was green. i then queried them on this matter: ‘what benefits are there to be gained from eating these leaves?’ to which they replied, ‘none whatsoever, it’s just another expense for us as we’ve grown accustomed to it’. those who consume these leaves have to eat lots of ghee and honey, for they would fall ill otherwise. the leaves are known as kad." in 1856, english writer charles dickens also described the custom of khat chewing in the horn region and the adjacent gulf territories, likening it to drinking strong green tea: and one may sleep well if, during the day, too much kat has not been chewed. the leaves of the drug called kat are the chief source of pleasurable excitement in these districts of east africa. botanists, taking the native name for the plant, turn it into catha edulis, eatable kat. it is much used by the arabs, to whom it is sent in camel loads, consisting of a number of small parcels, each containing about forty slender twigs, with the leaves attached, carefully, wrapped so as to avoid exposure to the air. these leaves are chewed, and act upon the spirits of those using them, much as a strong dose of green tea acts upon us in europe, when it acts agreeably. europeans used to stronger stimulants, are little affected by the use of kat, but among the more temperate arabs it is so welcome a provocative to good humour, that about two hundred and eighty camel-loads of it are used every year in aden only. harari men consuming khat in the street of harar, ethiopia nowadays khat consumption is limited to east africa and south western arabia. these countries include djibouti, ethiopia, kenya, somalia (includes somaliland), uganda, and yemen. the author yousif al zarouni writes in his book:: 4 the plant is native to the arabian peninsula and the horn of africa, despite its native grounds it is only legal in one of the several countries of the arabian peninsula, yemen. the plant however is widely available and legal in east africa, some african nations on the other hand such as south africa consider it as a protected species. the plant is mostly used by east africans and south west arabians, rarely by people from other places. following a ban on khat in the british-governed aden protectorate, the qāt commission of inquiry in aden concluded: "qāt does not create an addiction, like opium or hashish, in that those who are suddenly deprived of it, do not suffer physical consequences." regulation in 1965, the world health organization (who) expert committee on dependence-producing drugs' fourteenth report noted, "the committee was pleased to note the resolution of the economic and social council with respect to khat, confirming the view that the abuse of this substance is a regional problem and may best be controlled at that level." for this reason, khat was not scheduled under the single convention on narcotic drugs. in 1980, the who classified the plant as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence (less than tobacco or alcohol), although the who does not consider khat to be seriously addictive. it is a controlled or illegal substance in some countries, but is legal for sale and production in others. morocco khat is illegal in morocco. ethiopia khat market in ethiopia khat is legal in ethiopia. somalia khat is legal in somalia. djibouti khat is legal in djibouti. kenya khat is legal in kenya. however, two of its active components, cathinone and cathine, are classed as class c substances. south africa in south africa, catha edulis is a protected tree. the use of khat is illegal. uganda miraa is legal in uganda but efforts are underway (as of october 2015) to ban it. bangladesh khat is illegal in bangladesh. china khat is illegal in china. hong kong khat is regarded as a dangerous drug in hong kong. traffickers can face a penalty up to hk$5 million as well as life imprisonment. taiwan in taiwan, khat is illegal. it is classified as a narcotic drug. israel khat, called "gat" in israel, is consumed mainly by yemenite jews. the activity of chewing its leaves is called "lehazen" (hebrew: לכזן). the process of chewing the gat can take up to several hours. some chew the gat in a gathering which is called "tahazina" (hebrew: תכזינה). the gat is grown traditionally in private gardens, but it may be found in some markets. gat is legal in israel as long as it is consumed in its natural form, but the distillation of its components is illegal. some use the plant as a hedge since it is an evergreen. in 2003, hagigat, a pill based on extracted cathinone, began to be sold in kiosks in israel. following several cases of hospitalisation, the israeli ministry of health classified cathinone as a dangerous drug, and hagigat was outlawed. the plant itself is allowed to be chewed and sold in its natural state, as no harm was found in normal quantities. as of june 2012, the israeli anti-drug authority announced that beverages containing khat are considered illegal as per the dangerous drug ordinance of the state of israel. indonesia khat is illegal in indonesia. saudi arabia khat is illegal in saudi arabia. united arab emirates khat is illegal in the united arab emirates under federal law number 14 of 1995 on the countermeasures against narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. schedule no. 4, part 2(5), provides for the prohibition of the cultivation and possession of khat. the possession and selling of khat may lead to life imprisonment. yemen khat is legal in yemen. however, cultivation of the crop and the selling of its leaves are governed by a series of regulations. in 2007, the yemeni government passed a law that restricted the cultivation of khat in a number of agricultural flatlands and basins with high water stress. the law concerning the general sales tax in 2005 also set the tax rate on khat at 20% of its retail price. the widespread cultivation of khat in yemen has exacerbated a severe water shortage. khat is much more water-intensive to grow than other crops. it has also played a major role in a famine in the country. belgium khat has been illegal in belgium since 2006. denmark khat has been illegal in denmark since 1993. in 2009, the danish health authority investigated khat use among somalis in denmark. a questionnaire with 848 respondents was used. the responses indicated that 48% of somali males and 16% of females used the narcotic on a monthly basis and that 29% of males and 6% of females used it two times or more a week. half the respondents had never used khat. the responses indicated that somalis constituted the great majority of users in denmark. the report also investigated attitudes towards khat use among somalis in denmark. in total, two out of three respondents stated that khat is a problem for social integration into danish society, while one in three users stated the same. responses indicated that two out of three considered khat to be part of somali culture, although two in three also stated that they agree that khat should be banned in denmark. finland khat is classified as an illegal drug in finland, and possession, use and sale of the substance is prohibited and punishable. as with all illegal drugs, operating a motor vehicle with detectable levels of khat or its metabolites in one's system can also lead to a conviction for driving under the influence, even if the driver does not appear intoxicated. france khat is prohibited in france as a stimulant since 1957. germany in germany, cathinone is listed as a "non-trafficable substance", which makes the possession, sale and purchase of fresh khat illegal. the derivative cathine, with "norpseudoephedrin" listed as an alternate name, is only available on prescription. in 2017, 5815 kg of khat was discovered by customs officials in frankfurt. in june 2018, 324 kg of khat was discovered in packages from east africa. iceland in august 2010 the icelandic police intercepted khat smuggling for the first time. 37 kg were confiscated. the drugs were most likely intended for sale in canada. again in may 2011 the police intercepted around 60 kg. ireland khat is a controlled drug for the purpose of the misuse of drugs act 1977 and schedule 1 of the misuse of drugs regulations 1988. as such its unauthorised possession and supply is prohibited. italy khat is inserted in the table i of the italian official list of psychoactive drugs under the name "catha edulis pianta" (english: "catha edulis plant") and thus possession is forbidden. netherlands in the netherlands, the active ingredients of khat, cathine and cathinone, are qualified as hard drugs and forbidden. use is mostly limited to the somali community. in 2008 health minister ab klink decided against qualifying the unprocessed plant as drugs after consultation with experts. however, on 9 january 2012 the dutch government announced a ban on khat. norway weight of khat (in kg) confiscated by norwegian customs service 2009-present. the number of confiscations was about 200–350 per year. in norway, khat is classified as a narcotic drug and is illegal to use, sell and possess. most users are somali immigrants and khat is smuggled from the netherlands and the united kingdom. norwegian customs seized 10 metric tons of khat in 2010, an increase from less than 4 in 2006. in 2016, oslo municipality estimated 50–70% of somali immigrant males to be habitual users. poland in poland, khat is a classified narcotic drug, and is illegal to use, sell and possess. slovenia khat is classified as an illegal drug in slovenia. sweden khat (in kg) confiscated by the swedish customs service and swedish police from 2000 to 2015. the drug was prohibited in sweden in 1989, without research. in 2007, it was estimated that 30% of somali males in sweden were using khat. smuggling seizures by police amounted to about 9 tonnes annually. switzerland in switzerland, khat is illegal. it is classified as a narcotic drug. united kingdom khat was made illegal in the uk on 24 june 2014. concerns had been expressed by commentators, health professionals and community members about the use of khat in the uk, particularly by immigrants from somalia, yemen and ethiopia. studies of the effects of khat use by immigrants on their mental health suggested that there was a need for better research on khat-chewing and its possible link with psychiatric disorders; it also suggested that public discourse on the issue displayed elements of a moral panic. some somali community organisations also campaigned for khat to be banned. as a