From colonial poppy fields to pharmatrash, southern Africa offers a fascinating history of drug regimes – one that helps us make sense of drug policies and legislation today.
Complaints about the ban of kratom, often used by recovering opiate addicts, have been vociferous, but not always backed by facts.
A khat plantation in Kenya. The stimulant’s prohibition in the UK was a bitter-sweet blow for growers, who now enjoy state support for the first time.
Reuters/Thomas Mukoya
Options for exports of the stimulant khat are becoming ever more constrained. The anti-khat campaign that was successful in the UK is now eyeing new victories in Somalia and Kenya.