As a Kenyan citizen, who hails from the highlands from where Khat is the main cash crop, i am loving this break down immensely, its Friday, and in pure Khat mannerisms, in Nairobi, "naenda kuchukua surba, nichane hadi asubuhi", translated to, "I will be getting my potent share of fresh Khat leaves, and indulge with my mates till the wee hours of the morning".... thank you for this.
@richiem.602511 ай бұрын
haha... Kazoze
@valkyriedd584911 ай бұрын
Miraa.
@chamowmeuh11 ай бұрын
so is Mira and khat the same thing ?
@valkyriedd584911 ай бұрын
@@chamowmeuh yes
@Anon25411 ай бұрын
Kaveve kazoze 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🔥🔥
@TotallyNotRedneckYall11 ай бұрын
If my friend said "we're going to a khat house" I'd be awfully disappointed when I got there and found a bunch of plants.
@joannaedssay59886 ай бұрын
I was thinking this too 😆. If a friend told me that we were going to visit the khat house, I'd assume we were going to the Cat cafe and that my friend must have forgot the name so called it the cat house 😆😆 Your comment is underrated!
@jannisares5 ай бұрын
Lol
@amon85625 ай бұрын
@@joannaedssay5988cat house means brothel
@user-tb5rv3xh2h5 ай бұрын
Lol 😂
@williamrizzo85744 ай бұрын
@@joannaedssay5988bro. A cat house is a brothel.
@evansnjuguna831511 ай бұрын
As a Kenyan who’s seen and still sees Khat used daily this is an amazing breakdown. Good work Simon❤
@drwasikeokile729910 ай бұрын
KAVEVE KAZOZE MZEE
@frankmuli35339 ай бұрын
Word..
@bixxi96265 ай бұрын
story za jaba
@wildrabbt5 ай бұрын
Kazoze😹😹🥲
@bedan.5 ай бұрын
Bana niko jaba saa hii😅😅
@followtheboat11 ай бұрын
I witnessed the social effects of khat first hand while in Aden, Yemen, and it was quite shocking. I visited the khat market and it was chaos, the busiest place in Aden, full of men buying and selling from the back of pick-up trucks. We were told if we needed any work doing on our boat, that we needed to get it done by midday. After that time, shops remained open but the owners were huddled behind the counter with their friends, grinning inanely with green teeth and huge, swollen cheeks full of masticated leaves. We couldn't get much sense out of them. The bizarrest sight was seeing large, iron four-poster beds rolled out into the streets with each one being occupied by groups of men doing nothing but chewing. And sadly, tucked up dark allies, out of sight from the adults, kids as young as ten were also chewing it. While the drug itself is not particularly harmful, the social effects were obvious, and the last statement in the video from the observer who commented about how it can tear families up is understandable. The video mentioned how farmers moved away from growing fruit, but it also affected the coffee market. Yemen was, once upon a time, a major coffee exporter (the city of Mocha is in Yemen), but it took a big hit when farmers moved away from coffee and into khat. This was all before the war in Yemen so I've no idea what it's like now, but khat didn't appear to be doing anyone any favours there . It is truly an opiate for the people.
@contenteater11 ай бұрын
Different drugs for different classes of people 🌚🌝 💉 💎 🌱
@followtheboat11 ай бұрын
@@mishaa7263 I've been following the Fentanyl problem in the US and it's bad. However it's not on the same scale as Yemen. When your entire farming industry turns from fruit and coffee to khat, then you know you have a nationwide problem.
@sayedalazam42289 ай бұрын
Did Khat make them act Drunk? Or were they nodding out? How was it like dealing with khat addicts?
@followtheboat9 ай бұрын
@@sayedalazam4228 neither of those really. I remember lots of grinning by shopkeepers, but in the streets on the beds they were all pretty chill.
@HonestLeigh9 ай бұрын
Sounds like they need regulation, not a ban. Prohibit consumption on the job, instate a minimum age for sale and consumption, issue licenses for the growing of it so only a certain percent of the country's arable land can be used for it.
@Bubbaist11 ай бұрын
A few years ago I took a trip to Ethiopia. I flew into Dire Dawa and took a taxi to Harar with my guide. It was night time and most towns along the way were quiet. Then we got to one town where hordes of people were walking around wide-eyed, often carrying bricks of green leaves. My guide told me that the town was a hub for kat going to Somaliland. It was one of the creepiest places I’ve ever seen. Before we left Dire Dawa the guide told me not to put my luggage on the roof of the van because of a dangerous town we’d be passing through. A few days later I took the same route back to Dire Dawa, but in the daytime. Then that town looked like a ghost town.
@ayantuinthenow11 ай бұрын
I’m not 100% sure what you are trying to convey here but I’m going to venture a guess that you are agreeing with the idea that khat is a particularly harmful drug or at least is causing a lot of issues in Ethiopia. If that’s the case, I would point out that most of the unsavory things you explain here are a result of poverty, a lack of economic opportunities, poor supply chain infrastructure and a lack of government regulations/protections. Khat just happens to be the main export/economic vehicle in the area. Also the likely reason for people being wide awake in the middle of the night in the town that’s a hub is because most of the khat supply chain operates at night. As Simon mentioned, it’s a race against time to get the khat to its final destination once it’s picked. So it’s likely picked/harvested (not sure what the correct term would be lol) during the day then sold wholesale to suppliers and transported that night to get it to customers the next morning. I think this could be improved by better infrastructure but unfortunately that’s the least of Ethiopia’s problems at the moment.
@eoinokeeffe701411 ай бұрын
@@ayantuinthenow I'm not sure what you're trying to convey.
@ehrenloudermilk105311 ай бұрын
@@eoinokeeffe7014thank you
@Observer67511 ай бұрын
Completely irrelevant to the video, but did you interact with any of Harar's hyenas?
@williamforbes629111 ай бұрын
Alcohol had infected each location everywhere though so khat ain't shit
@TommyOnTheRun11 ай бұрын
Khat is huge on the Horn of Africa. In Djibouti it’s actually pushed to keep the citizens high so they don’t organize. There was a huge problem when the supply chain broke down a few years ago and people started rioting.
@contenteater11 ай бұрын
Yup In Soviet Russia Stalin would keep the masses happy with cheap vodka.
@miraapilotsKE5 ай бұрын
just imagine the scenario here since we export it to Yemen Djibouti Ethiopia and many more
@_tardigrade11 ай бұрын
I've tried khat one time out of curiosity. It was a lot of work for the high, but I can easily understand that people get addicted to it.
@myhi8925 ай бұрын
How would you describe the feeling?
@Realmakos5 ай бұрын
@@myhi892the feeling.. Is so good and long lasting than alcohol.. The downside of it is hangover..
@LuluTheCorgi2 ай бұрын
@@myhi892I agree with the guy in the video, it's like a strong cup of green tea Maybe I stopped chewing to early but I got really tired from the taste and it was starting to get a really gross texture lol
@ignitionfrn222311 ай бұрын
0:50 - Chapter 1 - Historic use 2:35 - Chapter 2 - The high 3:40 - Chapter 3 - In the brain 5:00 - Chapter 4 - Side effects 6:40 - Chapter 5 - Social impacts 8:30 - Chapter 6 - Drought, famine & child soldiers 9:55 - Chapter 7 - Regulation 11:15 - Chapter 8 - Moral panic 12:55 - Chapter 9 - Legalisation
@UnknownUser-fe5zu11 ай бұрын
Shill
@enverse24411 ай бұрын
@@UnknownUser-fe5zu😂ikr
@duffman63811 ай бұрын
In 2015, I got sent to Djibouti City, Djibouti in Africa for work. When we arrived we were given a briefing about Khat. It was the first time me or any of the people I was with had ever heard of it. But, it was insane because we were given all these warnings about how about it is and dont try it if the locals offer. Then out in the city you would see big signs advertising for Khat, it just seemed odd that something we were told is illegal for us was so readily available for the local population.
@westrim11 ай бұрын
You could say those advertisements let the Khat out of the bag.
@ourempire1311 ай бұрын
Ba dah bum😂
@mpick2611 ай бұрын
Man DJI had Khat stands set up like lemonade 😂. You're right, it was crazy!
@Vandelberger11 ай бұрын
I also was confused during my time there, but soon as the President of Djibouti made himself President for life, it all made sense. The drug is a hunger a suppresant and makes you calm.
@ayantuinthenow11 ай бұрын
That’s very strange but also not surprising. People in those parts behave very strangely when it comes to foreigners. I say this as someone from “those parts” (East Africa). It kinda feels like a very paternalistic way of trying to protect (certain kind of) foreigners with an end goal of making sure the foreigners have a positive view of the local area. Idk if that made any sense…it’s a weird cultural thing I’ve noticed that I have a hard time wrapping my head around
@jacobavners239411 ай бұрын
I've lived in Israel for most of my life - khat is markedly popular here, known by the local pronunciation as 'Gat'. This is actualy what's gotten me so curious about this one. Those who introduced it here and remain the primary consumers are the Yemenite Jewish community. Everyone, including said Yemenite Jews, is fairly open about it and its use, and afaik it's still legal, or used to be for a long time. A kiosque near my place actually sells and advertises it. And not to say that they necessarily don't exist, but - as far as I've heard at least, while there are some negative stereotypes regarding its use, it hasn't caused anywhere near the harrowing moral/social effects described in this video. I guess I'll do more research across local Israeli media on the subject, to learn more about the actual situation here. Great job Simon! As (well, almost) always, I loved the content and topic selection
@SkunkApe40711 ай бұрын
Why limit yourself to only Israeli media, when the substance is being used and originates elsewhere? There are people in the comments on this video detailing personal accounts of the drug. Do you somehow think that the media is more informed or honest than those who have actually witnessed it?
@mikifauns11 ай бұрын
The accounts sounded similar to accounts of alcohol usage pre-prohibition tbh. From the high use in the areas it is popular, the effects it has on families (going out at night to consume it with friends and wasting your money on it), and even its impact on the economy. So I would say it is likely akin to alcohol in terms of "druginess".
@IIITheDeadGamerIII11 ай бұрын
I'd be interested in learning anything you learn about it's use from research!
@fritzstammen453511 ай бұрын
@@SkunkApe407 I think his point is that hes never heard any negative sotires about the use of khat in isreal, so he wants to see if there are any. He watched the video and heard the stories about its use elsewhere, so he wants to see if the same thing is going on in his home country.
@SkunkApe40711 ай бұрын
@@fritzstammen4535 that just tells me that the Israeli media is censoring reports.
@valkyriedd584911 ай бұрын
I chewed and traded it for years in Africa. I lived in Meru district Kenya where it is known as miraa. Here the red bark of the stems is chewed, not the leaves. I found this superior than khat (the leaves) from Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen. It was very difficult to det drunk while chewing, had an effect similar to viagra, gave me energy, kept me awake. The worst side effect was the next morning it felt like I had been chewing razor blades, tongue and cheek used to hurt. It cost 20 Kenya shillings per bundle (20 pence UK) and that was enough for an evening, I never had more than 2 bundles in a 24 hr period. It is mild, you have to work at chewing it to feel an effect. For me it was non addictive and I don't miss it.
@sbtig963711 ай бұрын
Can you please tell me how the trip felt?what was it like...i have never tried any drugs...except weed and when i was younger i did sniffed glue once.
@valkyriedd584911 ай бұрын
@@sbtig9637 it wasn't a trip as such, in that there was no 'buzz' or high; it was more one noticed the effects, similar to drinking a couple of pints of strong coffee I guess. I haven't taken any amphetamines, ecstasy or cocaine so I can't compare.
@aonstability542811 ай бұрын
The conversion rate is not 1/1 on Kenyan shillings to Uk pence. Also the stem doesn’t give any high as proven by research. Stop with the cap and clout chasing
@valkyriedd584911 ай бұрын
@@aonstability5428 The exchange rate was £1 to Ksh100 at the time. You don't know what you are talking about so get out of my face. Fool.
@valkyriedd584911 ай бұрын
@@aonstability5428 The conversion rate is correct for the time. Please give details of this research so I can discredit it. And what is cap, do you mean crap? Because you're full of it.
@joemck8511 ай бұрын
As an American who had never heard of khat before, at first the description made it sound attractive, like a caffeine buzz but somewhat more intense. But it's clearly at least somewhat addictive if so many people are leaving work in the early afternoon, neglecting family and spending more than they can afford on it. Considering that and the liver damage, and that you have to get it fresh and chew for hours to get the buzz, I think I'll stick to coffee.
@CajunReaper9511 ай бұрын
Nicotine also gives a buzz
@MycaeWitchofHyphae11 ай бұрын
If the one chemical that’s like an amphetamine but less so could be extracted without the uptake inhibitor, that could be really interesting for a lighter ADHD med
@mgstickman175411 ай бұрын
Would it be different if coffee was banned?
@bantuvoicemuchaik.k.771511 ай бұрын
It's literary the opposite of alcohol... So you might work even more than usual...
@joemck8511 ай бұрын
@bantuvoicemuchaik.k.7715 Simon talked about a lot of guys leaving work in the early afternoon to spend the rest of the day chewing khat. @@mgstickman1754 Large numbers of people don't clock out right after lunch to go to a coffee shop and sip away with friends until night while neglecting family.
@tinkerstrade355311 ай бұрын
Banning leads to bootlegging. Bootlegging leads to gangsters. And through it all, people do, what people do. 1st rule of leadership: Never give an order you can't enforce. And that applies to laws.
@gabrielhbyrne11 ай бұрын
TRUTH..... Never give an order or make a law you can't enforce.
@letsdothis906311 ай бұрын
Yup. I think that the criminal element is the biggest danger presented by illegal drugs.
@dorisreibel13405 ай бұрын
Be gangster
@gooberingk3 ай бұрын
2nd rule: never invade russia during winter
@iktmamafo213311 ай бұрын
Just wanted to say that after Casual Criminalist, Into the Shadows is my favorite show, Simon! Feel free to make hour long episodes, im totally down for watching them. (BTW, the new introduction is slick). As always, thanks for the content!
@FoxWolfWorld11 ай бұрын
All his channels are the same. They just do whatever regardless of the channels “topic”
@Iris_and_or_George11 ай бұрын
Have you found BrainBlaze yet? Like casual criminalist but more tangents and instead of true crime random topics. All 3 are in my favourite channels.
@iktmamafo213311 ай бұрын
@@Iris_and_or_George I have but I don't watch consistently, just the odd topic here and there. Thanks for the suggestion though!
@Baldevi11 ай бұрын
I love CasCrim the most too, but BrainBlaze and Into the Shadows are excellent offerings from Simon and his team. I am always learning something new from Into the Shadows and enve Brain Blaze, because I basically live under a rock. I also love Warographics, but that channel's content is incredibly intense, and can stifle the spirit sometimes. I still watch, I appreciate the education on past and current conflicts greatly. I know more about the conflict in Ukraine than any of my friends now, for instance.
@Baldevi11 ай бұрын
@@FoxWolfWorld Yet here you are, commenting... This means you're watching anyway, or you're a Troll. I do hope you're the former. I'd also like to know which episodes you are thinking of, from what channel. If you are thinking of say TopTenz, Simon's team was not much involved with that channel's content, and Simon has parted ways with that production anyway. Maybe you're annoyed at Today I Found Out?
@deltanoiro11 ай бұрын
Among all the warnings against taking this stuff, for some reason the Halitosis is the biggest one for me. Not sure what that says about my priorities, but I've met my fair share of people who have horrible breath, and I never want to be unable to have a conversation with someone face to face without making their stomach turn. Its just one of those things that I try to be hyper aware of.
@ManDuderGuy11 ай бұрын
I'm convinced that what most people need (besides hydrating, avoiding nasty stuff like tobacco, and brushing teeth) is to use a tongue scraper daily. Most of the stank in your mouth comes from the gunk on your tongue. P.S. Once clean, use coconut oil as a mouthwash for the final step! 👌
@IanKnox_40oz11 ай бұрын
Bad breath and green teeth were the deal breaker for me to not use it.
@annalieff-saxby56811 ай бұрын
I should think it's a deal breaker for women, that's for sure. It might do some men good to realise that smelling bad is a right turn-off.
@ForeignTot11 ай бұрын
My father is from Yemen and he took me there when I was a kid. I still remember all the people chewing Khat EVERYWHERE you went. I remember the wide eyed and talkative people sitting in one spot for 12 hours at a time. The huge bulge on one side of the cheek where they store the chewed leaves. He took me to a flea market made up of hundreds of Khat vendors. It was insane to see how popular and sought out the drug was. This video really nailed it with every talking point and brought back alot of memories. PS I was 10 years old and the older men convinced me to try it. It tastes horrible I spit it out instantly. If the Yemenese people spent half the time being productive citizens instead of chewing Yemen would be a completely different country then it is now.
@carlamarlene292711 ай бұрын
Seems to me there are not many options. The land doesn't grow much, so no crops or feed for livestock. Kinda like the reservation for native america. It's kinda just a port city
@tehgerbil11 ай бұрын
@@carlamarlene2927The video literally stated farmers were growing khat instead of food, because of the profit.
@Idle_Hands11 ай бұрын
depends what you aim for in soceity and life. People are content to Chew, let them Chew. No is is content in the race for materialism. Monetary slavery via the debt system and an ever inflating currency etc. Society as it stands is disgusting.
@FusionDeveloper11 ай бұрын
Always judge others harshly, who live their lives in ways you personally don't want to live. Freedom is for losers.
@hellooutthere895611 ай бұрын
Might would help if the united states didn't bomb the sh*t out of them either. Educate yourself on the real monsters.
@samposyreeni11 ай бұрын
As a person who's been doing harm reduction work, as a highly interested peer no less, for about a half a decade, and who's also knee-deep in the related phamacology from my teen years... You're spot-on. I rarely see anyone, including the doctors and researchers, covering the subject quite this well. Pretty much the only thing even half-missing are the synthetic cathinones or pyrovalerone derivatives, starting with MDPV and currently especially alpha-PVP (yes, bath-salts are mentioned), and their intimate connection to amphetamines, including meth . Because the synthetics of this ilk are actually even worse than meth; much more potent per milligram, and per equal dose much more prone to causing hallucinations, paranoia, heart trouble and all that. Probably because they hit norepinephrine reuptake so much harder.
@blueberries25411 ай бұрын
Don't chat shit. Meth and PV are basically equipotent. Yes you can smash more meth in a sesh than PV but at first dose 5mg is all you need of either.
@trash_bender42011 ай бұрын
Can confirm from experience with synthetic cathinones like N Ethyl Pentedrone and 3 Methyl Methcathinone, they are extremely euphoric and dangerously addictive, even more so than amphetamine (can't speak on meth), and probably dont need to exist. That doesn't mean the parent plant should be illegal though, as that would only promote new and more dangerous derivatives to be developed
@xenos_n.11 ай бұрын
The heart trouble would be linked to norepinephrine, but hallucinations and paranoia would be linked to sleep deprivation and dopamine.
@speedoflight58911 ай бұрын
Stop lying so much. I am from there and many people sit around all day eating khat with tea, I’ve never seen or heard of an overdose or anything close to what ur saying. It’s literally just leaves that give same buzz as a cigarette. It’s not even that addictive. It’s just sold in poverty areas so no jobs poor men sit around eating it all day.
@mejuliie11 ай бұрын
@@speedoflight589 Read the comment. OP is specifically about synthetic cathinones. You comparing it to cigarettes perfectly highlights just how addictive it actually is. Because it doesn't give a major high, the barrier to entrance is low and it's socially accepted. A heavy smoker isn't able to just stop smoking. Neither is a Kath user just able to stop using it. Add to that the social aspects and habits that form around taking it, and you have a very addictive substance.
@FoxWolfWorld11 ай бұрын
There’s no way Khat would do more financial damage to families than lottery tickets. I frequently see working class people dropping $100+ dollars on scratchers. At least khat would give them a high.
@Nerathul111 ай бұрын
I think the best decription of lotto I've seen is "A voluntary tax on the poor and stupid."
@OhioCruffler11 ай бұрын
A tax on being bad at math.@@Nerathul1
@longboardfella530611 ай бұрын
But in reality it’s a tax on the unempowered and disenfranchised who feel it’s the only likely way to overcome their circumstances. Which direct work of course. Even for the free who win
@eddyr104111 ай бұрын
But lotto buyer get high too😅
@NRH11111 ай бұрын
I have a regular at my work who comes in at 5:30 am and buys lottery. She spent $400 on keno and bought $100 dollars of scratch tickets aswell
@tmmccormick8611 ай бұрын
Constant complaint from SOF teams about working with Sub-Saharan militias is that they start chewing Khat around noon and are useless until the next morning. Idk if it's because they chew so much of it or if they have a different, stronger strain.
@Budgetgadgets24 ай бұрын
Well, if you chew for long hours, you overwork your body and you're exhausted the next morning. Most people where I'm from use it to stay alert and work long shifts. I'd use it to work online for 18 hours. Then immediately I woke up, I'd start chewing again to get rid of the exhaustion. It's definitely not healthy, but it's nothing like all those other drugs it's been classified with.
@RossOzarka11 ай бұрын
As a scrabble player, I use Qat once a day, and can confirm its potency, especially on a triple-letter score!
@maina.wambui2 ай бұрын
Based
@ninjaswordtothehead11 ай бұрын
Prohibition has worked out so well historically.
@becky223511 ай бұрын
Exactly
@JinksDeJenn10 ай бұрын
Try being a chronic pain patient these days with the opiate epidemic going on.
@ninjaswordtothehead10 ай бұрын
@@JinksDeJenn Preaching to the choir. I have found other ways to manage but those who haven't are some of the few who have my truest sympathy.
@JinksDeJenn10 ай бұрын
@@ninjaswordtothehead Absolutely
@user-bd1pq3mi7b7 ай бұрын
@@JinksDeJenn i am and they dont care about me one bit
@infinitebb11 ай бұрын
Khat is sooo normal here in Kenya 🇰🇪🇰🇪 like LITERALLY i can go down my apartment block and get a bag for 25 cents in USD.. *i dont take it because its a disgusting habit* you can chew khat with groundnuts or chewing gum
@NoorsUnpopularOpinions11 ай бұрын
Hhh. Wakenya haki
@thekyu25411 ай бұрын
Tell them
@mattiemathis954911 ай бұрын
Simon spoke about how much productivity is lost. Why don’t they chew while they work?
@carlswenson540311 ай бұрын
so .. like .. can I get some? it's uh ... for research
@inhumanfilth68111 ай бұрын
Lucky
@jopmens696011 ай бұрын
Just want to point out that often the legal status of a drug has little to do with the harm it does. There are other big interests involved.
@hasturthekinginyellow500310 ай бұрын
The only reason weed has such a bad reputation is because of the manufactured link between weed and cocaine created by Ronald Reagan to get rid of the detractors of the Vietnam War who were mostly Hispanics and Blacks, so Reagan planted cocaine in the black communities made a whole deal about them being junkies and then basically said that all of them started by smoking weed. This is real, many government officials have confirmed it, if I recall correctly even the head of national security confirmed that it was true saying "we made them the enemy, we needed to make them the enemy, and we got away with it"
@DKM.2310 ай бұрын
He almost alluded to it in the video: productivity. Can’t have a bunch of workers not working! Bad for the economy if the slaves are off having fun! I do find it strange though that the west won’t just legalise and make money off the multibillion drug industry.. I mean we’re getting there but painfully slowly
@korre31935 ай бұрын
Trueeee
@bensammarket11 ай бұрын
I was working in a country called Djibouti which is next to somalia and ethiopa and i personally chewed with random locals on many occasions whilst drinking afterwork n weekend ect, definitely a 2 months i will never forget ,such hood hearted people in Djibouti 🇩🇯🇩🇯🇩🇯 from , Birmingham Uk🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@beeroftherat111 ай бұрын
Drug abuse, domestic violence, and broken homes are the results of poverty, anxiety, and depression (the latter two often the results of poverty themselves, or at least of financial insecurity and poor quality of life)...not drugs. If prohibition could stop drug addiction, it surely would have by now. With no other options available, sufficiently distressed individuals will huff paint fumes to escape their misery. It's the human condition we should be addressing, not the palliative solutions people inevitably conceieve to cope with it.
@triawillow197211 ай бұрын
Tell that to poor Portland 😢
@beeroftherat111 ай бұрын
You mean a city where homelessness is a major problem? How does that contraindicate anything I just said? Homeless people often turn to drugs to numb the pain of a bleak existence.@@triawillow1972
@Davefinney3702 ай бұрын
Drug addiction as a problem stands on its own.
@eflanagan1921Ай бұрын
@@Davefinney370 Yes and no , addiction is a disease of it's own but causal and after effects are common.
@nevermanishere11 ай бұрын
Traveling from the airport in Yemen, my business partner saw that the cabbie was chewing on this stuff. He got mad and complained that he didn't want a stoned driver. The cabbie got pissed off. So much so that after a few minutes, he stopped the cab, took our luggage out of his trunk (Simon: that's a boot lol), and left us on the side of the highway... two white guys in business suits, in Yemen. We soon got picked up by another cabbie, with khat. I stared my business partner down. After a 20 hour flight, this is the last thing I needed.
@pgakt11 ай бұрын
English people know what a trunk is, everyone outside America knows American terms because America inserts itself into everything
@richiehoyt848711 ай бұрын
Not to mention that if Khat was the Big Bad Drug your partner assumed, the pi55ed - off 'junkie' driver wouldn't have troubled too much about giving you your luggage back!
@Jesus_Is_King_of_Kings777711 ай бұрын
Seems like you friend had forgot y'all weren't in Kansas anymore..I woulda let him to not speak to the ppl anywhere else like that around me after that. Sheesh. Let alone travel anywhere foreign with him again. 🤦
@edensky58257 ай бұрын
When in Rome...
@fredrickrari933811 ай бұрын
I as a kenyan have not witnessed this sosial ills brought by khat (miraa) all i see is a group of people indulging in friendly conversation as they chew their leaves one at a time. It brings people together n has less side effects than alcohol or cigarettes
@IanKnox_40oz11 ай бұрын
So the last statement was a “some people can’t handle the substance. So no one can use it.” But we’re fine with alcohol causing domestic abuse and divorce. Worry about yourself, Don’t have the ARROGANCE to believe that you know what is best for others. People who do that disgust me.
@IrishDark11 ай бұрын
💯
@sirvilhelmofyonderland11 ай бұрын
Alcohol is as bad as any drug. But senators and congress men like to drink. So it’s not going anywhere. Khat is addictive. I’m glad it’s illegal. IMO 😮
@ifnan75611 ай бұрын
ya man thats how they always been sadly
@SN00PICUS11 ай бұрын
You would think the failed drug war would teach people a lesson, but no they are gonna double down and try and regulate the world.
@John.Flower.Productions11 ай бұрын
@@sirvilhelmofyonderland Khat is addictive. Caffeine is addictive. Nicotine is addictive. Alcohol is addictive. Hydrocodone is addictive. ___________ is addictive.
@ImplyDods11 ай бұрын
Well Simon, I think it's a great idea to make khat illegal as it has been proved many times that prohibition works incredibly well.
@vilian918511 ай бұрын
you're being sarcastic right?
@adrianseglenieks930911 ай бұрын
@@vilian9185 absolutely not, prohibition has 100% success rate we should reinstate alcohol prohibition
@AngelusNielson11 ай бұрын
@@vilian9185 Nah...
@ferretyluv11 ай бұрын
And legalization has worked so well in Portland…
@Poopshit42011 ай бұрын
Two countries tried paying their citizens to kill off a species that was invasive, one succeeded, the other one had people breeding them so they could sell the bodies to the government. Maybe it works differently depending on circumstances? If what you are saying is true we may need to legalize a lot of drugs that have been made illegal.
@IBLV2DOU11 ай бұрын
Good info! Always something new and interesting to learn on your channel. The US has no idea how to stop drug abuse so far. People always find a way to obtain what they want, or need.
@pandemicgrower421211 ай бұрын
Why dose it fall on usa? Pretty sure mankind has had a drug problem ever since we found it.
@Anybloke11 ай бұрын
It used to be freely available in certain ethnic shops in Liverpool in the early 90s. I tried it once but wasn't the least bit impressed. It was like chewing dried privet. Some drank neat whisky with it to mask the bitter taste.
@furrycircuitry237811 ай бұрын
At that point the high was coming from the whiskey and not the leaves
@zachinthehat170710 ай бұрын
Like he said the leaves must be fresh to be effective
@uthabitipharmacy10 ай бұрын
You should take it with some chewing gum or peanuts... anyways nowadays there's a juice extracted from the leaves. It's more powerful. But can be taken with a soda or juice and thus palatability won't be an issue. I'm Kenyan btw. It's popular here
@korre31935 ай бұрын
You have to take chewing Gum, or Sugar sweets with it I was a User for like Three years in Kenya... It has an amazing High, you feel more awake and sensitive It's a nice experience but will definitely dump the drug after (Or at least not decide to take it for a while) It's not a Bad drug as they make it look Like
@keshi554112 күн бұрын
@@korre3193 It's a pretty bad drug don't sugar coat it.
@Im-Not-a-Dog10 ай бұрын
Ancient Person: Eats Khat. > Ancient Person: Tweaks for 30 hours straight. > Ancient Person: *"THIS PLANT IS MAGICAL AND GOD GAVE IT TO ME!!!"*
@robertp45711 ай бұрын
Those who’s family would be significantly affected by khat usage likely had problems before khat.
@heckpeanuts11 ай бұрын
Yes. Drug use is a symptom not the disease itself
@Iris_and_or_George11 ай бұрын
Agree
@gamin9wizard94511 ай бұрын
It could be argued that the drug can amplify pre-existing issues, however the same thing can be said about alcohol. So I guess a solution to the problem might be more complex than to just simply ban the drug outright.
@marktg9811 ай бұрын
@@gamin9wizard945No shit, 99% of people using drugs do so to cover some form of mental problems. I smoke hash for the same reason.
@PP-pi7li11 ай бұрын
I’m trying to think of of a single human family that does not have any problems… hum.. nope, I have never encountered such a thing. Sooo….
@greysector133011 ай бұрын
In 2007 at JFK airport I became aware of a high priority smuggling interdiction by NYPD , Customs & DEA that is ongoing to today, I think, they were concerned at users dangerous behavior under the influence of Khat and it being mixed with something else, they mentioned but weren't specific but were highly concerned about it enough to target it with priority, it was entering in large volumes it seemed
@Tony.kayAmiri10 ай бұрын
It's worst effect is it boosts laziness, most users are sloths.
@Budgetgadgets24 ай бұрын
@@Tony.kayAmiri that's not Khat bro. Khat actually makes you more alert. I'd use it in kenya to work online for 18 hours. The kind of users you're talking about are in the middle east. They're not sloths because of khat. We can say the same thing about hookah... They're just generally lazy.
@yvito12511 ай бұрын
The Government should not be telling people what they can/ can’t put in their bodies.
@bimasetyaputra83817 ай бұрын
Chemical addiction to certain drugs is arguably not a choice of the user, since the habit arguably becomes an almost uncontrollable instinct, removing the informed consent of the drug user. If drug use was always a conscious and informed choice (as libertarians often tend to argue when advocating liberalization) then rehab centers would either A) not be needed or B) have a much higher success rate
@valenciasaintilus95734 ай бұрын
Keep that western mindset to yourself. You do not have a right to hurt yourself. A society of unhealthy people is an unhealthy society. We want our societies healthy. We believe in harm reduction not just for others but also for the self.
@yvito1254 ай бұрын
@valenciasaintilus9573 where did I say I anything about harm reduction? I'm speaking about bodily autonomy, smart guy. You can still practice harm reduction with freedom! I'm a proud and free Westerner enjoying my life the way I want to do it.
@eflanagan1921Ай бұрын
@@yvito125 Want autonomy and freedom , go to Mars .
@valenciasaintilus9573Ай бұрын
@@yvito125 you call the right to hurt yourself “ bodily autonomy” but for us it simply self harm. And one does not have the right to hurt themselves.
@JayneCobb888 ай бұрын
Black Hawk Down. All the locals were so dedicated in their attacks, suffering over 1,000 casualties vs the U.S.’s 30 because they were all hopped up on khat.
@oldtimer42711 ай бұрын
I had never heard of this. Thanks Simon. What an insidious market.
@dylanball685111 ай бұрын
Most of the "bath salts" are derived from khat
@ayantuinthenow11 ай бұрын
The market itself, nor the drug for that matter, is not inherently insidious. Prohibition and criminalization makes it insidious.
@atomicskull640511 ай бұрын
I wonder what the DEA would do if people caught on to the fact that almost all cylindrical cacti are psychoactive?
@MrMannyfresh7811 ай бұрын
Lol they know that and they also know that a few people isolating psychedelic alkaloids from cacti aren’t really a problem.
@vickielawson311411 ай бұрын
@@MrMannyfresh78 San Pedro and Peruvian Torch, while a pain to prepare, provide a really nice trip; more relaxed than acid (but much longer onset).
@christianrodriguez353111 ай бұрын
Never tried it but longer onsets can be a blessing compared to shorter more abrupt ones in my experience
@ringofasho77214 күн бұрын
I have a San Pedro cactus. It is NOT easy to prepare it in a way that doesn't make you excruciatingly sick. Lots of people know about it, and only a few want to try it. Of the few that try it, almost no one tries it again
@ouroborosirvington11 ай бұрын
I miss my cat. I can't believe anyone would eat one! How horrifying.
@myboysd577211 ай бұрын
You just kinda chew it and keep it your mouth but yeah. Cats taste bad like that.
@freedomunltd3 ай бұрын
@@myboysd5772😂
@freedomunltd3 ай бұрын
😂
@Vandelberger11 ай бұрын
I will have to hear about this. In Djibouti, they let everyone chew it to suppress hunger and calm the people down. Easier than spending money on what their people actually need.
@jazztheglass613911 ай бұрын
It's a cathinone. It can be isolated, extracted, and refined into a pretty potent substance. Mephedrone is a cathinone. Cathinone is banned in the UK
@AnimeShinigami1311 ай бұрын
When it comes to drug bans, what I care about is having the ability to choose for myself whether or not to ban them. How many decades has it been? How many generations have not truly had the chance to "just say no to drugs"? If we don't get the chance to vote on that. We will never truly have a free choice, and we will never truly be able to say we've said "no". I have a very similar attitude towards things like free markets, free press, politics and medical misinformation. If we the people don't have accurate information about a topic, we cannot truly say we've made a free choice about it.
@SubFlow2211 ай бұрын
A lot of dead junkies have said the same thing.
@wes_m11 ай бұрын
Must be nice to be blessed with such a strong moral character and willpower, unlike those weak and filthy “junkies”.
@gnarthdarkanen746411 ай бұрын
Fact of life... WE the people, don't get any accurate or precise information about any of these topics. Instead, you get alarmists and doom-sayers on BOTH sides of the debate screaming about the evils of either or both sides. They ALL misrepresent the reality to bend to their opinions and intentions, and without PHYSICALLY trying the stuff for yourself, you just can't take anyone's word for it... Which is okay until you try heroin or nicotine for yourself... and in one hit around 50% are already hooked, even when they don't know it... AND you may just as easily find the high pleasing enough that the health issues and concerns are too slow to bring a "downside" to your attention to stop before the addiction and inevitable withdrawal are too much to bear on your own. "BUT heroin's a processed drug! We're only talking plants here, like weed and this khat-stuff!" ...Right? Yeah, processed as in crush the juice out of a seed-pod and dry it. That's what it takes to be sufficient to get the withdrawals as bad as "Dope sick" like any of the junkies in rehab or on the street today will happily complain ad-nauseum infinitus about... you WILL either understand or be ready to put a bullet in your head to make it stop... and I DO mean just the complaining. Don't you think in the slow and steady evolutions of society through the various cultures that someone along the line has ALREADY thought about simple regulation on a relatively free market??? ALL these things have been exported and imported and transported around from market to market... many for hundreds or even thousands of years. Yet, somehow the people who get into office to regulate have more and more consistently continued to be about banning and criminalizing... Maybe it's the hell of society's impatience... Maybe it's a fact that too many have seen the insidious sides of these things and figured out that over the longer term, try as you might, you're either going to run out of love and get the HELL away from it, or you'll end up in the bottom of a bottle of the stuff the rest of your MISERABLE and meager existence... rendered for intents and purposes USELESS to the rest of us and everyone around you. BE FRIGGIN' WARE of the "good people" who keep insisting we can get it right "this time"... ;o)
@AnimeShinigami1311 ай бұрын
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 wow, if i wanted a rant, I'd have dialed up Alex Jones and told him the New World Order is a crock of shit just to troll him. As far as drugs go, just because YOU need to take that first hit to learn your lesson, doesn't mean the rest of us don't look at accounts of what happens to your body biologically when you take drugs and go "yeaaaaah, knock yourself out man." Some of the most messed up addicts I've ever seen got that way because they were traumatized in some way. There's an alcoholic in my neighborhood who had to kill child soldiers in Desert Storm. Society tells him he has to solve his own problems, so he does it the way his parents and grandparents probably did, a can of beer. A shrink? Oh no, going to a psychiatrist is for women and children. Men don't go to a psychiatrist, that's weak! There are certain things you can do, like prioritizing public services over corporate profit. And if those fucktards on capitol hill won't do it, you keep voting new people in until they get it or you get someone who's sincere. Every time public services are privatized PEOPLE. GET. SCREWED. Look at Texas and their electrical grid. Look at the prices for home insurance in Florida! Look at Flint, MI! They ALL got screwed by privatized services that needed to be public. Any condition or situation that you could die from, like diabetes or thirst or hypothermia, SHOULD be public utilities. And the rudimentary basics of a standard of living and a standard of care should be subsidized. And most of all, limits need to be set and followed and politicians that won't enact or enforce those limits need to be kicked the fuck out!
@AnimeShinigami1311 ай бұрын
@@SubFlow22 See my comment to the other guy. Just because you need to take that first hit to understand how bad drugs are, doesn't mean that most of us don't hear accounts of the physiological effects of addiction and go "yeah knock yourself out bruh." You don't have to use to decide you don't care for it. I voted for legalizing marijuana in my state, but I've never taken a hit. NOT. ONE.
@ieatiron11 ай бұрын
I've always been fascinated by the hypocrisy around this drug. "Drinking beer is the worst crime" and "There is nothing wrong enjoying a little meth leaves for 6 hours" seems like a conflicting lifestyle.
@BigBoaby-sg1yo11 ай бұрын
Walter white is going to sort the situation out 😮
@CRneu11 ай бұрын
Drugs are drugs. It doesn't really make sense to put them into different brackets. Yeah, sure, fentanyl is way worse than a joint, but in the end drug users are all doing the same thing. It doesn't matter if it's a joint, a beer, khat, heroin, fentanyl, etc.
@BigBoaby-sg1yo11 ай бұрын
@@CRneu today drugs are used for escaping reality and recreation enhancements, rather than for spiritual development . Love is the best drug ever and much more addictive than any substance.
@roblowe82959 ай бұрын
@@CRneuthat’s like saying Tylenol is no different from morphine because they’re both drugs 🙄
@roblowe82959 ай бұрын
@@BigBoaby-sg1yothat’s such a boomer take.
@wittmanist11 ай бұрын
Plenty use in the African comminties in the UK. You can buy it from corner shops in the right places. Ive seen 5 police trying to restrain one guy on this and having a very difficult time. As a medic i dealt with a guy with his scalp taken off with a machete while on it. He didnt even notice the injury.
@Sienisota11 ай бұрын
Last I had heard of khat, it was still considered like strong caffeine
@kennedykariukin11 ай бұрын
It still is, Simon is waaaay off base with his fear mongering on this
@alphared465511 ай бұрын
@@kennedykariukinSimon literally said the same thing you're replying to. Watch the video before spewing
@chidubememma-ugwuoke9660Ай бұрын
what's crazy is both of this & coffee come from Ethiopia 😳😳
@grumpyoldnord11 ай бұрын
3:18 I love when little bits of the Blazement make their way into Simon's more serious work. 🤣
@SeanNyte11 ай бұрын
RIGHT!?! Blazement has crept into almost all of his various channels... His channels basically make up my Top 10 list.... Lol!
@grundgesetzart.14632 ай бұрын
"Meth light", with the coca cola script....loool 🤣🤣🤣
@TheMsdos2511 ай бұрын
As an American the only reason I know about Khat is Far Cry 2, where it's mentioned in a single side mission. Considering how ineffectual the drug war has been when it comes to weed or meth, I doubt trying to ban Khat would work much better if demand grows here.
@danielsantiagourtado343011 ай бұрын
Keep going simon! Enjoy your work!
@DoloresJNurss11 ай бұрын
This makes me want to hear your take on the tea-smuggling gangs of 18th century Britain. While tea wasn't illegal, it was taxed out of the reach of all but the elite--at least the legal stuff. The smugglers seemed capable of all of the theft, murder, torture and other evils of the drug trade today--showing that it's prohibition, not legalization, that cause the societal problems around a drug. Granted, there is domestic abuse wherever people spend more money on their addiction than their families. But how much of that comes from social norms in how a drug is used? Carrie Nation went on a rampage because of the immense suffering caused by it being an acceptable norm for men to go straight from work to the pub and not come out till they had spent the family's grocery money--children were literally starving to death because their alcoholic fathers drank their suppr-money. Yet while we still have some alcoholics, it's no longer normalized. Nor do people today cut their workdays in half to spend hours in coffeeshops and tea-shops--although they used to. Plainly societies can shift towards moderation and functionality. Besides, it's impossible to protect unhappy people from becoming addicted to something. We can't close down all the restaurants and ration food just because of an epidemic of overeating. We don't regulate shopping when there are people suffering from shopping addiction. And then there's the case of Nunuvit, one of the most remote communities in the world, where they have banned alcohol and where it's too much trouble for too little profit for drug dealers to go there. Unhappy people still get addicted to huffing gasoline. Maybe we should explore instead how we've created a society that so many find literally unbearable? Maybe we should do something about that. But do please do an "Into the Shadows" on the Cuppa Gangs!
@Kerhuz11 ай бұрын
When a remote place like nunavut, where "society" with its cities, hordes of zombified people and concrete boxes is a far sight, has people getting high on gasoline... I think the problem is not society. Animals in general like to get high. It's been proven with lab research on mice, you've seen it in nature, from elefants eating fermented fruit to get drunk to reindeer eating magic mushrooms... It's not "society"... it's in our nature. What separates us from animals is the fact we have a supersized prefrontal cortex, which boost learning from past experience to predict the better outcome and planning ahead. The problem is that some people completely ignore this... It's called being irresponsible. No alcoholic starts out his addiction without a unhealthy dose of irresponsability to begin with. Same for a crack head, or a cocaine addict. I agree the harshness of society can definitively lead to people trying to find an escape. But that's what every drug addict will tell you to try to take the responsibility off his shoulders. People have to stop blaming "society" for everything that happens to them. It's your choice, always.
@IIITheDeadGamerIII11 ай бұрын
This. So much this. I'm always weary of bans on anything because it's not gonna solve anything. The issue is societal and acceptance of doing drugs and alcohol for "entertainment." (The past was literally the worst so often times the alcohol was safer to drink because it was more treated than whatever water there was which resulted in far less deaths.) Let's make people want to live. Good work-life ratio. Good wages. A good view about living, instead of saying life should be torture.
@SkunkApe40711 ай бұрын
if your "prohibition causes crime" logic held any water, we'd see skyrocketing homicide rates. Prohibition works. Tea has caffeine, which is a drug. Lack of caffeine in an addiction causes withdrawal headaches and irritability. Drugs, not prohibition, cause crime rates to rise. Or are you suggesting that crack, heroin, and meth be legal?
@DoloresJNurss11 ай бұрын
@@SkunkApe407 You make a good point. The cases are almost parallel. But there's a difference between banning a thing and banning an act. Things don't commit crimes--it's what we do with the things that does harm. Still, solving the source of problems is better than punishing them after the fact, if you can do it. One of the reasons I said what I did was based on Medellin, which used to be the murder capital of the world, due to drug gangs. Murders were illegal there, of course, but it didn't slow down the problem, which was caused by drug gang violence. What did slow it down was making drug addiction a medical rather than a legal problem. Addicts could get a drug by prescription legally and cheaply, ending their criminal activities and stabilizing their lives enough for them to get into rehabilitation--after all, they were getting their drugs from those wanting to see them get well, instead of those wanting them to get more people hooked on drugs. The drug cartels had no more financial incentive to stay and left for greener pastures. So, in a sense, eliminating the reason that the murders were taking place was more effective than illegalizing murder.
@DoloresJNurss11 ай бұрын
@@SkunkApe407 I should also address why this didn't work with prescription drug abuse. It wasn't actually tried. There was no middle-ground. Once a doctor realized that his patient had become addicted, by law he had to cut him off completely, often in rural areas that lacked medical support for withdrawal. So instead of ceasing to be an addict, the patient became a criminal addict, robbing people and committing other crimes to get the drugs much more expensively on the streets, from people encouraging them to get still more addicted and to addict others. I am not a fan of mind-altering drugs. I spent my youth terrorized by druggies in the family. But I also saw--against what I wanted to see--how legalizing marijuana in various states reduced deaths from overdoses (people were no longer getting their weed from pushers eager to hook them on the harder stuff, plus doctors could prescribe marijuana instead of harder drugs for pain) and new dependencies dropped because of the lack of minors smoking pot. A pusher will start customers on drugs as young as possible to get the most mileage out of them, but a legitimate business-owner doesn't want to lose his license by selling to minors.
@DrinkTheKoolAid6211 ай бұрын
I used to live in Kenya and had seen Khat for sale (and used ) in the streets. I now live back in my native New Zealand and imagine my surprise when I found out it now grows wild in some places here, after it somehow managed to gain purchase in the soil. The stuff is a weed
@DanielLLevy6 ай бұрын
The wood is quite good. Engineering quality.
@romz111 ай бұрын
Ive had some khat with kenyans when it was legal in the uk, i felt great. The only dangerous thing is the banning of natural occuring plants that we, as humans, have every right to choose to consume or not.
@garrettbarrera556811 ай бұрын
It was crazy seeing everyone in Yemen chewing it in the afternoon everyday when I was there in 2013. It would be the size of a baseball in the side of their mouth.
@queenannsrevenge10011 ай бұрын
I have never heard of this drug before in my life, I'm amazed. At first I thought Simon was having me on, but wow...
@robot33611 ай бұрын
Perhaps Khat use can explain why many ancient rulers declaired themselves to be living God's 🤔
@luckychurchyard585211 ай бұрын
I'll never get how government thinks banning something will solve the entire problem. Most of the time without thinking a step further like your comment about the pubs.
@skybluskyblueify11 ай бұрын
There was a 7-11 in San Benito county California that had khat growing behind the store so it can be grown in the US. They eventually stopped them from growing it but I could imagine Santa Cruz county to be a place easy to grow it secretly.
@badjer432811 ай бұрын
I was deployed on a gaurd rotation at a Joint Navy port in Djibouti. Our port had a lot of staffing by locals from the nearby town. We could not allow them access on base if they were under the effects of Khat or had khat leaves in thier possession. If they were found to be consuming khat anywhere on base, thier access was revoked and they were fired. Such a disgusting drug... teeth rotting qnd falling out, drooling and stumbling like a zombie...
@frankgatto977811 ай бұрын
Good vid! Khat is mostly banned because it's a precursor for a current popular club drug.
@AD-mo5sg11 ай бұрын
Just got back from Kenya and I have to say I really enjoyed khat for it’s social aspect, just chilling with my partners cousin before we hit the clubs chatting rubbish
@johndoyle47237 ай бұрын
Thanks. I was surprised when trekking in Peru that "Bed tea" , served to you first thing when you wake up in your tent was Coca tea, and the leaves were offered around for free to chew. I got to like the Coca tea but not sure I ever got any sort of high. We were warned to be careful because back in the UK many employers have mandatory drug testing and this could show up as a positive for a while.
@erroneous69474 ай бұрын
Generally speaking it’s like betel nut. You have to add slaked lime (burnt limestone) to activate the alkaloids.
@stevekenilworth8 ай бұрын
Approximately 6 tons of khat arrives in the UK per week, mostly by air from Kenya. The bulk of this is in transit for supply to the United States of America. The UK is a base for khat distribution to many countries, including the US, where the plant is illegal. Khat is used in bundles of approximately 250g of fresh stems and leaves; each bundle costs £3-5 (approximately £15/kg). In the United States of America, where khat is illegal, the street price is approximately $400/kg. that what the government report say plus much more. seen a documentary recently regarding this from the farms and getting it to the city or airport, miraa and driving at high speed has become iconic in the Kenyan miraa trade and is an image used even in Kenyan cartoons. now they say they drive slower still at speed 80-100mph but they said when they imported to UK they drive as fast as possible much faster than they do now what shown on documentary what was dam fast , tend to use Toyota pickups on documentary basically a race between drivers, easy to find it Dangerous Roads, The Flying Trucks of Kenya on tube it a good watch and driver goes into bit how the bans effected drivers and farmers.
@aarondavis894311 ай бұрын
"Bath salts are highly addictive designer drugs that cause depression, anxiety, tremors and extreme paranoia." Sounds wonderful.
@lancerhades97111 ай бұрын
Synthetic versions of drugs always seem to be so much worse
@CajunReaper9511 ай бұрын
@@lancerhades971well yeah a lot of them are made with toxic ingredients thus creating a bad response in the cns.
@vickielawson311411 ай бұрын
Let me correct Simon: “Bath salts” are intensely euphoric stimulants which provide hours of pleasurable energy, yet calm focus and heightened empathy. Sound good now?
@vickielawson311411 ай бұрын
If you only list _possible_ negative side effects (usually from overuse), and none of the pleasurable main effects, it’s going to sound bad, but believe me, cathinones are wonderful.
@Zhuntovany.Kavalir10 ай бұрын
Had pure 4MMC many times and Ive never experienced one stated effect. Maybe if you combine with alcohol and you use it for several days (festival combo), you wont feel exactly wonderful the next few days :) But thats reasonable (and you should avoid it to minimize harm)
@Not_on_u_tub10 ай бұрын
Wait. That cannot be right. 500 liters of water per day, per chewer, to support the growth of the product. That is 132 gallons! Most people do not use that much water all day, to include for showering.
@taggardhecker63809 ай бұрын
I am a Marine Corps combat veteran of the humanitarian aid timeframe to Somalia (Blackhawk Down era) the clan fighters used to live on Khat. I never knew the full details about it till just now. Thank you for such an informative video.
@mwitieric9 ай бұрын
Come here in Kenya meru to be specific I will show you more about it
@hahaaxd404111 ай бұрын
I used to really like the cathinone 3mmc when it was still legal in the Netherlands, a derivative of 4mmc, which is essentially synthetic khat with some other chemicals in it. I always really enjoyed the euphoriaboost from it, it would last pretty long too, not as intense as mdma but definitely very pleasurable at least in my experience, especially socially. Would describe it as a mix between a light MDMA euphoria with the alertness and stimulation of cocaine. Never took it more than one evening every two weeks or so, but I did know people who got addicted to it.
@MFobes11 ай бұрын
Man. My palate for chemicals these days is pretty limited but you almost have me sold 😂
@PP-pi7li11 ай бұрын
@@MFobesbelieve me, friend, do not fuck around with synthetic cathinones. The person who wrote the comment above was very lucky to not indulge more than a few times and therefore avoided destroying his life as he knew it. Read up about cathinones and believe the horror stories you will find. There is a before and an after synthetic cathinones and i promise you that you will regret for the rest of your life that your life before cathinones or khat for that matter is gone. Just don’t do it.
@MFobes11 ай бұрын
@@PP-pi7li I do believe you. I don’t dabble in that stuff these days but you have made me interested in researching some more. Your comment is appreciated.
@hahaaxd404111 ай бұрын
@@PP-pi7li I see what you're saying, but everybody reacts differently. I also know many people for who stims is not a big problem and very occasional (excluding meth and crack, although even with those there are rare cases of using sporadically) I believe it is our right as grown people to put in our bodies what we want, the majority of people also won't down a bottle of wine in one go but will just have a glass, look at these compounds the same way and you shouldn't have any problems. Be very careful what you use and how you use it. Get your life in order first, allot of people who are confident and happy without drugs can hold back against addictive behaviour and just use it at a festival or party/gathering with friends. Once you know how the drug can be destructive and you really ask yourself: Do I want to do this all the time and end up addicted, or do I wanna have fun for once and live the rest of my life until another moment arises in the future. That's the way me and allot of my friends who can control it look at it. Theres tweakers, theres alcoholics, and theres responsible use. Anything can be abused, videogames, pornography, any other form of entertainment, marijuana you name it.
@PP-pi7li11 ай бұрын
@@MFobes I'm glad to hear it. Stay safe
@gunsandcommissions11 ай бұрын
I remember khat kicking off the bath salt craze.
@maoriscorpion11 ай бұрын
That was a trippy watch, because this is my first time watching a Serious Simon vid. Its ultra weird without one of his rambling tangents
@bobbiescrisps920811 ай бұрын
I remember buying this stuff from a head shop in Portsmouth in the early nineties. Very subtle but creeps up on you. We even brewed it up with magic mushrooms, bit like taking a mild E
@Fayanora11 ай бұрын
Whenever there's a difference between the natural version of a drug and the artificial variety, I always wonder if it's a chirality issue. That is, a lot of organic molecules are "right handed" or "left handed," the same molecule but one is a mirror image of the other. When nature settles on one or the other, it always makes the one it settled on. Artificial synthesis of the molecule often isn't as selective, though, and will produce both right and left handed versions. Which wouldn't be a problem except that in some molecules, the chirality or handedness of the molecule is important. One can be perfectly safe, and the other can be highly dangerous.
@xXLeonSavageXx9 ай бұрын
Honestly
@Dragonhunter180511 ай бұрын
Slightly odd question, but if it's chewed why does it affect productivity? Isn't that specifically the sort of activity you can do whilst working (or anything else for that matter)? Heck shouldn't a drug which increases energy improve productivity if anything?
@Seibaunite11 ай бұрын
It only increases productivity on a short term, once addiction reaches a more advanced state the users tend to skip work and other responsabilities,some even resort to crime and such
@myboysd577211 ай бұрын
You can say this about amphetamine or meth too.
@BitTheByte11 ай бұрын
@@Seibaunite Tell this to the vast majority of all construction workers who are on meth. Shit still gets done
@bwwm79149 ай бұрын
As a user I work while on it, where it is legal, long distance bus and truck drivers can't miss it because it enhances alertness while combating fatigue( basically any type of work).
@jackhsrper9 ай бұрын
Haven’t watched in a while love the new editing! It is on POINT!
@catube691511 ай бұрын
Poverty for itself is more than enough to disrupt familiar structure. People look for something to escape the world they live in, and people who think they know better treat them as criminals.
@FinxOmally11 ай бұрын
When I was going through an experimental phase about 15yrs ago I wanted to try Khat.. But nobody knew what I was talking about. Never got hold of any due to nobody even knowing what it was. Ended up playing around with some A-Class substances for 6months instead, then dropped it all.. I don't even drink anymore now. Not worth the next couple days not feeling 100%.
@JundunYashua11 ай бұрын
It's nothing special bro. Dries your mouth out. Not even that good really.
@FinxOmally11 ай бұрын
@@JundunYashua I was thinking of making a tea with it, see what that did.
@eucliduschaumeau881311 ай бұрын
I had some Khat infused beer from Israel a couple years ago. It's a stimulant in small quantities and I would equate it to the Wormwood in Absinthe. It also makes colors brighter. When you move your hand, you see "trails".
@Matt-pr7kw6 ай бұрын
No it doesn't.
@facelessqueenie887311 ай бұрын
Khat has been around since the early 2000s in south africa. It's not a new drug. It's just social media catching up now. I would rather worry about the more serious drugs like tranq and opioids your friendly family doctor prescribed for you 👌
@DanielLLevy6 ай бұрын
South Africa has long planted Catha edulis in afforestation schemes. Which makes sense, because it is quite adapted to the local conditions and it yields engineering-quality wood relatively quickly.
@midwestchem36811 ай бұрын
One thing alot of people don't discuss with any stimulant is the increase in ego and confidence. With stronger stimulants that increase is to a delusional point. It is hilarious they said they could talk to any girl or win any argument but that Is the nature of what stimulants do at a certain point!
@bradlevantis91311 ай бұрын
This was very insightful. Not sure where I land in this one. On one hand I see the potential problems. But on the other is sounds like similar issues with alcohol. Spend family money on it, could lead to domestic violence etc
@english_electric712511 ай бұрын
Banning the substance is popular because it looks good and is easy - it looks like taking a proactive, hard stance on a problem and users are the easy targets. Great PR for legislators. However, taking a drug away from an addict without solving the issue of why they are an addict in the first place just drives them to seek the drug or alternatives illegally, which incentivises smuggling and organised crime and that's a lot more dangerous to everyone. The whole chain goes underground and gets a whole lot darker. What's difficult is tackling the underlying causes of systemic substance abuse, most notably poverty and poor quality of life, but fixing those would be far more effective long term. That would however be expensive, takes a long time with less obvious "results", and critics will accuse you of wasting time and money on people who aren't worth it.
@ayantuinthenow11 ай бұрын
Khat is much less destructive than alcohol. It’s more akin to weed (pre-legalization weed before the cultivation of extremely potent stains took off). I promise you no one who isn’t already an abuser is committing domestic violence because they chew khat. It doesn’t have that kind of mind altering potency. Speaking from experience, I’d say that I found smoking weed to be much more of a high which I personally wasn’t a fan of as someone who likes to feel in control of my faculties at all times
@FusionDeveloper11 ай бұрын
Alcohol is a legal psychoactive substance.
@inthezone6669 ай бұрын
I'm from the UK and used to work in a homeless support charity and encountered this khat stuff before with Ethiopian asylum seekers who ended up homeless service users after being kicked out of hotels once their asylum claims were accepted. I also remember the M-kat epidemic back in the day that stuff was nasty AF sent many people down a dark path.
@jamesb.91558 ай бұрын
Thank goodness for your highly informational video chats Simon.
@crwydryny11 ай бұрын
Fun fact, the reason marijuana was originally banned in the US was because of racism, as it was popular among Mexicans. And the government couldn't make a law directly against Mexicans so they targeted the drug
@DeannaRood-qb9hg11 ай бұрын
You forgot the jazz musicians that popularized it
@JustDaniel676411 ай бұрын
Im sure i heard somewhere they called it marijuana because it rhymed with tijuana. Probably BS but it did pop in my head when i read your comment
@NavajoNinja11 ай бұрын
Nothing is fact, evertything is fiction.
@sumo-ninja11 ай бұрын
That's actually a cover story. The real reason is because hemp paper was threatening the paper industry as it was much easier to grow and produce and a paper baron started spreading rumors about "marijuana" being a new drug causing black men to rape white women. Weed was commonly called cannabis back then people didn't realize that marijuana was the same thing and thus it was made illegal
@miral669411 ай бұрын
That's the reason for /most/ of the "War on Drugs." All this stuff was legal until the 60s and 70s. Then suddenly, hey, there's hippies and Black folks getting uppity and protesting, we can't arrest them for protesting, but what if we made this one thing they all like illegal? Thus why pot is class A. This is not speculation- here's a full transcription from a famous Harper's interview with a Nixon aide post-impeachment: “You want to know what this was really all about?” he asked with the bluntness of a man who, after public disgrace and a stretch in federal prison, had little left to protect. “The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
@Rebel89711 ай бұрын
My Ethiopian ex's family had me try some. Said I can chew it or eat it. I thoroughly chewed a whole quart size bag and ate it. Made me super talkative and stayed up all night. Then had brutal diarrhea near morning. I was told if you smoke it it'll keep you up for days. They also pronounce it "chat". What a memory lol
@valkyriedd584911 ай бұрын
You are not supposed to swallow and eat it.
@Rebel89711 ай бұрын
@@valkyriedd5849 I reached the same conclusion before sunrise 😅
@AbdlazezMBouni6 ай бұрын
Remember in a countries of east africa, khat was a part in their society practices for over 1000 years and has never been bad effects.
@lochnessmonster514911 ай бұрын
My cat has a serious drug problem. He'll eat and lick a bunch of catnip and then ill catch him sleeping on the kitchen floor surrounded by empty Fancy Feast tins.
@mistere4now79910 ай бұрын
I'm a little confused why you didn't touch on the fact that "Wellbutrin" (Bupropion) is also a synthetic cathinone. It's a weaker one but is in fact still a synthetic cathinone. There are even people up in Canada that have begun abusing it by IV injection and claim it has a simular feeling like base-cocaine (crack). However, the cuts or ingredients added to the pills don't sit well under the skin and when the users miss the vein it causes horrible abscesses. I would think that wouldn't be worth it given that the high it produces is so shitty buuuut I guess I'd be wrong. They're having similar issues in Philadelphia with the fentanyl supply being cut with Xylazine (an animal tranquilizer). Although much, much worse grizzly abscesses leading to a ton of amputations. I think you aughtta do a video on that! It's the worst thing I've ever seen. Anyways, just thought if your viewers found this video interesting then they'd REALLY find it interesting that such a mainstream medication like Wellbutrin is also a synthetic cathinone - like bath salts but much less potent...
@ajamalaysiavar55409 ай бұрын
Xylazine doesnt cause abscess. Its causes necrosis. Its a vasoconstrictor, shrinking blood vessels. Blood carries oxygen & remove waste. Without it the flesh dies. But these wounds can heal with proper cleaning and debriding, hard for ppl suffering houselessness to maintain. The first symptom is swollen ankles & feet. Take asprin, 81 to 250 mg 1-2x per day to thin the blood so it gets thru. Get it at $🌳. Get on methadone. Certain regions its hard to get. At the very least, switch to heroin if possible. Its not in the heroin supply or the fentanyl heroin dealers sell. Switch to pharmaceuticals if you got the $ for it. Seems intentional. Suppliers wont add cut that quickly kills or discourages use. Its only in very particular areas & the supply is tainted all at once?
@venomous732111 ай бұрын
It’s crazy how prevalent alcohol and nicotine are while drugs like weed, and shrooms are looked down upon
@TheKrispyfort11 ай бұрын
They have bigger corporations and brands and the ka-ching ka-ching to legitimise them.
@berja389511 ай бұрын
It sure is! 'd chalk that down to all the so-called 'elites' using cocaine. One of my best friends used to get some really good kick ass smoke then her damn hubby got her hooked onto meth. After that, no more smoke. And she changed like a complete 180. It's funny & sad how a bigger /more expensive drug makes people feel superior. No, we're not friends anymore, I really miss her & who she used to be😞😧
@shockwvve11 ай бұрын
I'm a software engineer. I always code with Khat. I'm chewing right now. The alert level lasts for days. I code for 2 to 3 days without sleep.
@valdezlavi5 ай бұрын
Facts! increased mental alertness and productivity
@jtlaughridge378010 ай бұрын
my question is if its a stimulant then why doesnt it enable people to work harder and more focused like other stimulants?
@unshapedloki57672 ай бұрын
high doses of khat release to much dopamine for people to focus.
@itsthatsebguy9311 ай бұрын
I've taken Khat a number of times and it is like a extreme version of caffeine. Last for like 12+ hours, can't say I enjoyed it that much.
@Illusn11 ай бұрын
I think that the social issues of khat being compared to UK pub culture are apt. Both are likely a result of similar deeper social issues, which should be addressed rather than a crimilisation of the drug.
@heyysimone10 ай бұрын
I love Simon's little break and "what are you up to" 😂 he never really breaks during these videos, but that amused me
@drwasikeokile729910 ай бұрын
DO YOU KNOW WHY HE BROKE . .....the guy trying to chat up girls cannot do anything else but chat them,.
@shanevalcich92082 күн бұрын
I tested chemicals with a 7 reagent test kit at a dozen music festivals. 2010 no synthetic cathenones, 2011 75% synthetic cathenones. 5000% more ambulances leaving festivals after 2011.
@Fizz-Pop11 ай бұрын
Make it legal and regulate it. Banning it will just make the criminal gangs happy as they have one more thing they can sell. The other danger is people start buying synthetic drugs, and those are always much, much worse.
@ianzimmer199011 ай бұрын
Misleading description of "bath salts" Bath salts (or plant food) is a broad collection of synthetic analogues of a variety of drugs. while cathinone IS a bath salt, so are the famous THC analogues, as well as a plethora of other synthetics. you can find a 'bath salt version' of nearly every illegal drug you can think of, from MDMA to Ketamine, to all flavors of opiate. The only ones that cause you to 'eat someone' are the ones where their 'parent' drugs would have similar effects. after several generations of illegalizing, modifying, illegalizing, etc, they tend to be MUCH stronger (by weight) then the drug they're imitating, as so to maximize shipping efficiency. NOT ADVOCATING SYNTHETIC DRUGS, just sharing knowledge.
@kimathidedan40675 ай бұрын
Lack of purpose will result to a lot of guesswork which is a problem humanity is facing
@hamdibadrimohamed57585 ай бұрын
How do you solve it
@marekohampton847711 ай бұрын
About 30 years ago, I discovered Khat for sale by post in a magazine, so bought some. It's disgusting. Incredibly bitter, but you can boil the leaves up and it tastes a bit better, like the juice you get in a can of peas. It has a very subtle effect, but definitely does something, but you have to chew loads of it, or drink a lot of the tea.
@uthabitipharmacy10 ай бұрын
You took it wrong bro. Someone should have mentioned the right way to take it.
@Heegooat9 ай бұрын
You chew it with peanuts which takes away the bitterness. It has to be less than 36 hrs old
@vickielawson311411 ай бұрын
As a big fan of synthetic cathinones and curious about this natural one, I was really disappointed to find that I couldn’t order any Khat online (not that I could find).
@Zhuntovany.Kavalir10 ай бұрын
Same. Wanted to find where it all begins :)
@stevenpike78577 ай бұрын
Nanny state playing parent for full grown adults they claim are "free" to choose for themselves. It's so obnoxious for the government to assume they're your mommy or daddy telling you what you can and can't do with your own dang body.
@mykal47799 ай бұрын
i have never seen this guy break character, in my head he was a very morose, serious person, thank you for keeping his crack-up in!
@HSamee9 ай бұрын
Hahaha yeah you should watch the casual criminalist if you'd like to see some more of the fun simon. I've never seen him do it on this channel either.
@EpicgamerwinXD666911 ай бұрын
Hi Simon, I’ve watched enough Brain Blaze to know it’s extremely unlikely you’ll actually do this topic since I’m suggesting it, but I lost a dare with a friend and this is my punishment, so here goes. Since all your videos on “no no medications” (which is hopefully a way to get past this website’s filter system) seem to get so many views, I recommend making a video on dark web market places, or perhaps even doing videos on multiple ones. It’s a very fascinating topic I assure you. Now fair warning, if you don’t come out with a video on this topic by the end of the year, I’ll also owe my friend $20, but if you do, he’ll owe me $20, so if the fact that it’s an interesting topic isn’t enough motivation, hopefully the additional $20 bet is enough to push you over the edge.
@ianzimmer199011 ай бұрын
Id watch it. evolution from silk road to alphabay, and all the scams and rug pulls along the way