THE Home Affairs Select Committee of the UK Parliament fears that the new miraa ban could drive distribution into the criminal underworld.
Home Secretary Theresa May banned miraa on July 3 even though the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said there was no scientific evidence that miraa is bad for you.
Sir Richard Branson also criticised the ban saying that it would be better to officially tax the trade worth £14 million (Sh1.8 billion) rather than handing it over to criminal smugglers.
The Netherlands banned the import of miraa, or khat, in January and the UK was just following suit. But it is still a mistake to stop the miraa trade.
Miraa is a very mild intoxicant, less dangerous than alcohol. There is no evidence that it has caused major problems in Britain. The UK government is over-reacting by banning it.
There is a global debate about whether drugs like marijuana and cocaine should be legalised. The argument goes that governments will make money by now taxing legal recreational drugs while criminal gangs will lose their former income from smuggling illegal drugs.
The UK and European Union should allow miraa to continue to be imported to the UK.
Quote of the day: "Men of power have no time to read; yet the men who do not read are unfit for power." - British politician Michael Foot was born on July 23, 1913.
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