Khat Use is Associated with Tobacco, Alcohol, and Illicit Drug Use: A Cross-Sectional Examination in the United States

ABSTRACT

No study has systematically examined khat (Catha edulis) use and its linkages with other substance use in the United States. This study provides novel findings related to the associations of khat with other substance use among immigrants in metropolitan areas of Minnesota where large East African communities reside. Using a convenience sampling, a total of 261 individuals completed a brief face-to-face interview during which demographic information and substance use were assessed. The proportion of lifetime and current use were 30% and 6.6% for khat, 35% and 18% for tobacco, 35% and 21% for alcohol, and 13% and 10% for other illicit drugs. Self-report history of khat use was associated with tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use. Tobacco use was related to alcohol and use of other drugs. The results suggest that a history of khat use is useful in identifying individuals who are vulnerable to substance-use-related problems. The findings indicate the need for more research on khat in the U.S.

KEYWORDS:

• Catha edulis
• immigrants
• khat
• smoking
• tobacco

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank Dr. Mesfin Negia for his help with logistics of the study procedure.

Declaration of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This study was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Minnesota. All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the ethical standard of the University of Minnesota and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent, which was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Minnesota, was obtained from each individual.