The British government said Wednesday that it was banning qat, an herbal stimulant, despite advice against such a step by an official advisory body. Qat, also known as cathonine, is popular in parts of the Middle East and Africa, where people chew the leaf to release stimulants that produce a mild high. It is classified as a dangerous narcotic in the United States, and most other states in the European Union have banned it. In January, the British government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs concluded that qat should not be banned because there were no links to adverse medical effects.
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