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Abstract
Aims: To describe and analyse patterns of khat consumption and the response of the authorities to such drug use in Western Uganda.
Methods: Participant-observation and key informant interviews were carried out in Western Uganda during 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Findings: Khat is legal in Uganda but its use, especially when combined with alcohol and cannabis, is linked with violent crime by many Ugandans. In Western Uganda local government authorities have attempted to crack down on khat: in Bushenyi District they have introduced a by-law; in other districts khat traders and consumers face arrest and charges of being ‘idle and disorderly’.
Conclusion: The authorities, by clamping down on khat, because they perceive it to be a cause of violent crime, are targeting a substance that is widely reported in the academic literature to cause apathy, not violence.