Agenda and minutes

Residents, Education and Environmental Services Policy Overview Committee - Thursday, 7th October, 2010 6.00 pm

Venue: Committee Room 6 - Civic Centre, High Street, Uxbridge UB8 1UW. View directions

Contact: Natasha Dogra 

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for Absence

Minutes:

None.

2.

Declaration of Interest in matters coming before this meeting

Minutes:

None.

3.

To confirm that all items marked Part 1 will be considered in Public and that any items marked Part 2 will be considered in Private

Minutes:

It was confirmed that all items on the agenda were marked Part 1 and considered in public.

4.

To agree the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 September 2010 pdf icon PDF 169 KB

Minutes:

The minutes were agreed as an accurate record.

5.

Review 1: Witness Session 2 - Social Effects of Khat pdf icon PDF 66 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed the witnesses to the meeting which would concentrate on the social effects of the legal high Khat. Witnesses presented their information in five parts:

 

The selling of Khat

·        Khat entered the UK from Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia.

·        Once the Khat consignment was taken off the plane it was taken by an “Arranger” in large trucks to areas of the borough. Dealers would then approach the truck and buy their bundles of Khat and store it in their cars. The Khat was then distributed to users.

·        Khat was distributed in cafes (mafreshi) and Khat houses.

·        Khat was sold for £3 for a 125g bundle of short sticks (mainly fro Kenya). Longer sticks were sold for about £7 (mainly from Yemen). Yemeni Khat was slightly stronger and slightly better quality. However, the shorter sticks were more widely used as they were cheaper and still good quality.

·        All types of Khat were available in the UK within 3 days of it being cut in the countries of origin. Khat must be consumed within 3 days of being cut unless it has been frozen or refrigerated.

 

Where is Khat chewed?

·        Khat was either chewed in mafreshis or private houses.

·        It was mainly male users who chewed Khat in mafreshis, as culturally women were not widely accepted as users of Khat.

·        Men would gather at mafreshis from 6pm till the early hours of the morning and discuss their problems and general conversation with fellow Khat users.

·        Men who chewed a large quantity of Khat would return home to sleep throughout the day while resulted in them being unemployed.

·        Women chewed Khat in the privacy of their homes, sometimes with other women.

 

What is the profile of a Khat user?

·        According to witnesses from the Somali community the average Khat user was male, above the age of 20 and unemployed.

·        In a survey undertaken by Hillingdon LINk in April 2010 the average user of Khat appeared to be of either sex and could be aged as young as 16.

·        Children were beginning to wake up to the notion of Khat chewing, with witnesses claiming to have seen people as young as 15 chewing Khat. However, the Somali community did not accept children chewing Khat and users only chewed Khat in public from the age of 20. If younger people chewed Khat they would do it away from their parents and family.

·        Women and children of Somali or Yemeni descent would not admit to using Khat, as it was culturally frowned upon.

·        Khat users did not use it as an appetite suppressant, and Khat users tend to eat food after chewing it.

·        Older Somalis would chew Khat at family events such as weddings. The elders would sit together and chew Khat while discussing issues effecting them or current affairs. It was seen to be a cultural tradition for the elders to gather together to chew Khat.

 

What are the social consequences of Khat chewing?

·        Some Khat users chew  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Forward Plan pdf icon PDF 45 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Noted:

The Committee noted the Forward Plan.

7.

Work Programme 2010 pdf icon PDF 58 KB

Minutes:

Agreed:

The Committee agreed the Work Programme.