Crackdown on khat drug smugglers will follow ban

The Home Secretary Theresa May says she has banned the drug Khat for the social affects on communities and families.

The drug is commonly used in Wales by Somali communities.

"Khat continues to feature prominently amongst the health and social harms, such as low attainment and family breakdown, cited by affected communities and the police and local authorities working with them", she said.

"To ensure a proportionate and robust policing response, the government will introduce an escalation framework for the possession of khat for personal use, similar to that in place for cannabis.

"The government will ban khat so that we can protect vulnerable members of our communities and send a clear message to our international partners and khat smugglers that the UK is serious about stopping the illegal trafficking of khat," she added.