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Council's Khat report is first to be translated
A PIONEERING report into the herbal drug Khat has been translated into Arabic - the first time a Hillingdon Council document has been made available in another language.
The report, published last May, calls for the regulation of the plant and addresses everything from its importation and classification at customs through to its distribution, as well as the psychological and social effects of the drug, used predominantly by Arabic-speaking sections of the community from eastern Africa.
It took nearly a year to compile (front cover pictured below) and was informed by witness statements from local health services, police, border officials, counselling services and khat users.
And following calls from Somalian community groups, it is now available in Arabic.
Councillor Michael Markham, chairman of the residents' and environmental services scrutiny committee which drew up the report, said: "It shows how important the Hillingdon Khat report is and that our conclusions and recommendations are being taken very seriously, nationally and internationally.
Khat is a plant that, when chewed, releases stimulants.
The translated report can be downloaded from the council's website. Go to www.hillingdon.gov.uk, and search for 'khat'. You can also pick up a copy from the civic centre, in High Street, Uxbridge.
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