Agenda item

The Committee welcomed the witnesses Cllr Richard Barnes (Deputy Mayor of London) and David Brough (Chairman of Hayes Town Partnerships) to the meeting.

Witnesses commended the Committee on undertaking a study into an area which may only affect a minority but had the potential to spread into mainstream society. Witnesses had contacted Scotland Yard regarding the issue of banning Khat and informed the Committee that neither Scotland Yard nor the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) wanted Khat banned, as this would have had huge knock on effects of the substance being sold on the black market and one minority feeling targeted. Witnesses agreed that the Committee’s alternative routes of targeting Khat use were commendable, including naming a regulatory body who would be responsible for the safe importation of Khat at Heathrow Airport and classifying Khat as a substance akin to tobacco.

Health effects of Khat were becoming more widespread, with mental health issues emerging but could not be wholly attributed to Khat. There was a significant correlation between the two and was disproportionately more noticeable in this minority group. The Committee discussed the health issues that were uncovered during the Health Witness Session, but recognised that Khat was not the only factor involved with the health issues.

Witnesses informed the Committee that the first generation of Somali people who had settled in the UK were the main Khat users, with some young Somali people chewing Khat along with illegal drugs or alcohol.

The Khat industry was valued at an estimated £460 million in the UK. The rivalry between gangs and dealers was becoming very dangerous due to the vast amount of profit involved with Khat. Witnesses said that some car parks in Hayes and Southall on Tuesday and Thursday nights were full of Khat users and dealers and the amount of money been passed between the two was substantial.

Witnesses informed the Committee that current services set up to help Khat users were insufficient and lacked the knowledge needed to deal with the problem. Services were less than adequate due to the lack of resources and funds available in this difficult economic climate. The Committee agreed that services needed to improve and the information available to these groups also needed to improve. Members agreed that an interagency approach must be taken, with services sharing best practice and knowledge. The Committee agreed that a London Borough wide group should be set up to enable services to share best practice when tackling Khat issues. Members agreed that the police would also benefit from the formation of such a group.

The Committee thought it would be beneficial for the local SNT to write a briefing paper on how to tackle Khat users and issues and present this to a Khat Working Group.

Agreed:

THAT THE LOCAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR LONDON BOROUGHS, COMPRISING REPRESENTATIVES OF HILLINGDON COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY, HEALTH AND POLICE GROUPS MONITOR THE USE AND EFFECTS OF KHAT AND OPEN CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION EXIST FOR THE SHARING OF INFORMATION.