mild stimulants

  • kratomThe leaves of kratom, a native of Southeast Asia in the coffee family, are used to relieve pain and improve mood as an opiate substitute and stimulant. The herb is also combined with cough syrup to make a popular beverage in Thailand called "4x100." Because of its psychoactive properties, kratom is illegal in Thailand, Australia, Myanmar (Burma) and Malaysia. Thailand is considering legalizing kratom as a safer alternative for meth addicts, and U.S. researchers are studying its potential to help opiate abusers kick the habit without withdrawal side effects.

  • Durante siglos, los tailandeses han consumido kratom, una planta originaria del Sudeste Asiático empleada en la medi­cina tradicional. Mascada, en forma de píldoras o preparada como infusión, sus defensores aseguran que, dependiendo de la dosis, puede servir como anal­gésico natural o estimulante, ayuda a superar adicciones y que entraña pocos riesgos para la salud. Con todo, en las últimas décadas ha permanecido incluida en la lista de drogas ­ilícitas elaborada por las autoridades locales, una clasificación que abandonó hace tan solo unos días. Desde ahora, los tailandeses que lo deseen podrán consumir y vender esta planta sin problemas, algo que antes estaba penado con hasta dos años de prisión y multas de unos 5.000 euros para cantidades superiores a los diez kilos.

  • khatuseWithin the last decade the hitherto little known psychoactive substance of khat has emerged as a regional and international issue. In the Horn of Africa khat production has spurred an economic boom, but dramatic increases in consumption have raised public health concerns. Given the complexity of the topic spanning multiple academic disciplines and fields of professional practice, the need for a systematic overview is urgent.

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  • The chemically-based frame of reference adopted by the UN Single Convention is mistaken in the culturally loaded and falsely “scientific” manner in which it was applied to different plants. With the proliferation of new stimulant substances – many of them based on plants used in “traditional” cultural settings in different parts of the world – a need has arisen to monitor not just the substances themselves, but also the social contexts in which they are being used.

  • yemen-worldbankThis report, based on a household survey conducted in 2006, discusses options for discouraging qat consumption in Yemen. It draws on a survey - the first representative data collection exercise aimed specifically at assessing the qat consumption phenomena - which confirms that the use of this drug is widespread. Qat is consumed by men, women and children; its use is extremely time consuming; it drains the family budget; has adverse health effects; negatively affects work performance and thus contributes to poverty.

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  • yemen khat shopWhile many of the world’s markets have closed to curb the spread of coronavirus, in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, downtown districts selling qat — the ubiquitous mild narcotic — still bustle with people. Flouting social distancing rules, Yemenis jostle to select bunches of the chewable leaf from vendors packed into the narrow lanes crowded with stalls. “If the qat markets were closed, believe me when I say that 98 percent of Yemeni people would object,” Sanaa resident and avid consumer Ali Al-Zubeiry told AFP. Many Yemenis resorted to selling qat after the war broke out and their salaries dried up. (See also: Khat traders, farmers take a hit amid coronavirus pandemic)