A section of UK parliamentarians have raised concerns that the banning of miraa or khat in the country could strain community relations with the police.
The Members of the Home Affairs select committee were also worried that the ban could drive the sales of the drug-the economic backbone of some regions in Kenya- underground creating another headache for the police in UK. On July 3, UK Home Secretary Theresa May ordered that miraa sale, trade and use will be banned in the UK going against the advice of government's own agency the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs which had earlier said such a move is not necessary.
ACMD had argued that there was no scientific evidence to prove that use of miraa has adverse health effects. According to the UK police online publication the Police Oracle, committee chairman Keith Vaz noted that miraa was extremely popular in some communities that it is chewed on a regular basis.
"The concern is that it will go underground and they will carry on doing it," the Oracle quotes Vaz as saying. He was speaking last week when May appeared before the committee which is concerned that underground gangs could take over the trade of khat if it is banned. During the committee hearings, May also indicated that implementation of the ban could take place in autumn meaning anytime between September and early December.
The ban on miraa in UK has drawn mixed reactions within and outside the UK, with Kenyan farmers and traders up in arms over the impending loss of a key export market. Kenya exports 80 tonnes of miraa to the UK weekly. A section of traders are considering challenging the ban in a UK court.
UK based Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson has also faulted the ban saying that such a move will criminalise a lot of people in the minority ethnic communities living in the UK and create a problem for the police. Branson also cautioned that instead of a market worth £14 million annually being properly taxed, it will fall into the hands of criminal smuggling groups.
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