HADRAMOUT: The first thing some visiting Saudis and Yemenis working in the Kingdom do when they arrive in Yemen is rush to buy qat and get high.
Qat is a green leafy shrub that acts as a mild stimulant when chewed. The qat tree grows abundantly in Yemen and countries such as Somalia and Djibouti.
The use and trafficking of qat is legal in Yemen but is strictly forbidden in Saudi Arabia, which considers it to be a narcotic. So when Yemenis living in Saudi Arabia and Saudis who are accustomed to using the substance come to Yemen, the first thing they do is chew qat.
Hassan Batarfi, a Yemeni driver, said a number of his friends who live in the Kingdom will call him when they plan to come to Yemen and ask him to meet them at the border with qat.
“If you do not have qat with you, we don’t want to see you, they warn,” he said.
Hassan said his friends come to Yemen with a lot of money and that this gives him the opportunity to taste high quality qat.
A number of Yemeni expatriates, who preferred not to be named, said they crave for qat, which is difficult to get in Saudi Arabia and very expensive on the black market. “If it is found at all, it will have to be used secretly otherwise we might get arrested,” said one expatriate.
“My sole wish is to go to Yemen, buy the best quality qat and go to a hotel to chew,” a Yemeni national from Makkah said, regretting he was unable to travel because of work.
Yemeni expatriates represent an important category of customers. The price of qat usually goes up when Yemenis working in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries return home during the summer.
Ahmed Azzam, a qat dealer in the Yemeni city of Mukallah, said some expatriates buy for up to 10,000 Yemeni riyals ($50) worth of qat a day during their stay, which is sometimes one month or a month and a half. “Some of them will come with friends and will buy qat for up to 100,000 Yemeni riyals ($500),” he said, adding that he prefers to receive his payment in Saudi riyals.
Most of those coming to Yemen from the Kingdom, whether Yemenis or Saudis, do not have houses in Yemen and stay in hotels where they are allowed to chew qat. Some hotels even have dedicated big halls for people to lounge and chew.
In the remote village of Al-Qazah in Hadramout, villagers usually stop buying qat when expatriates come. Expatriates live in groups, buy qat and invite villagers to join them in mass chewing sessions. They also buy big meals as qat is particularly enjoyed after meals.
Abdullah Bahaj, a social worker who is adamantly against the substance, said qat represents a serious problem for Yemen, and causes health and social complications.
“Expatriates use qat once they return to Yemen because of its addictive nature. It relieves the mind from the daily problems of life making them look trivial and unimportant,” he said.
Bahaj said Yemeni expatriates usually come home with a lot of money and a lot of free time. “They return homesick. They crave for qat which is a way out of their problems,” he said, adding that he strongly supports the Saudi government’s decision to ban qat.
“It’s a very wise decision. Qat is like an epidemic which causes real harms to society once its use becomes predominant,” he said.
He called for a massive crackdown against use of the drug, especially at border points, and said those who use qat should be denied entry into Saudi Arabia.
