2015年经济学人 东非禁毒可能适得其反

Banning the east African stimulant¹ may backfire

OUTSIDE a newsagent's shop in the Clapham Road, a south London thoroughfare, a man sucks on a rolled-up cigarette and asks passers-by whether they want to buy some cannabis.

But shoppers seem more interested in khat, a mild narcotic² popular with Ethiopians, Somalis and Yemenis.

Inside, the shopkeeper pulls out bundles of the yellowish leaf and explains that it is the last batch³ he will sell.

“After tomorrow, they stop, no more,” he says.

On June 24th the sale of khat was prohibited in Britain, almost a year after Theresa May, the home secretary, told the House of Commons that she intended to ban it.

The government argues that since the leaf has been banned elsewhere, Britain risks turning into a distribution point if it remains⁴ legal;

that khat is a dangerous intoxicant that harms its users and that the “marfashes” where men go to chew are breeding radicalism⁵.

But both the government's advisory⁶ council on the misuse⁷ of drugs and the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee advised against the crackdown.

Unusually for a drug ban, prohibition⁸ seems likely to stop the use of khat.

Users must chew great wodges of the leaf, which loses its potency⁹ just a few days after being picked.

That makes it uneconomical to smuggle¹⁰.

Unlike cannabis, khat cannot be grown easily in Britain.

Before the ban, loads were flown in from Africa and distributed from warehouses¹¹ near Heathrow airport—in 2013 around 15m-worth ($25m) was imported from Kenya.

That trade is likely to dry up.

The broader effects of the ban are less clear.

Some Somalis and Ethiopians hope that khat-chewers will find something more productive to do with their time.

Supporters of the ban include women who complain that their husbands chew the leaf almost without ceasing.

The Home Office points to studies which suggest that the drug is associated with marital¹² problems, poor attendance at work and financial stress.

Less happily, people may turn to other substances.

“Most people, they just chew it at weekends, chat, watch football,” says an Ethiopian waiter.

“I see these women on the TV saying that their husbands chew every day, and I think, your husband, he has no self-control.”

Most users will simply drink more coffee, he reckons.

But some won't. And other drugs are not difficult to find.

1 stimulant   

n.刺激物，兴奋剂

参考例句：

• It is used in medicine for its stimulant quality.由于它有兴奋剂的特性而被应用于医学。
• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。

2 narcotic   

n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的

参考例句：

• Opium is classed under the head of narcotic.鸦片是归入麻醉剂一类的东西。
• No medical worker is allowed to prescribe any narcotic drug for herself.医务人员不得为自己开处方使用麻醉药品。

3 batch   

n.一批(组，群)；一批生产量

参考例句：

• The first batch of cakes was burnt.第一炉蛋糕烤焦了。
• I have a batch of letters to answer.我有一批信要回复。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 radicalism   

n. 急进主义, 根本的改革主义

参考例句：

• His radicalism and refusal to compromise isolated him. 他的激进主义与拒绝妥协使他受到孤立。
• Education produced intellectual ferment and the temptations of radicalism. 教育带来知识界的骚动，促使激进主义具有了吸引力。

6 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

7 misuse   

n.误用，滥用；vt.误用，滥用

参考例句：

• It disturbs me profoundly that you so misuse your talents.你如此滥用自己的才能，使我深感不安。
• He was sacked for computer misuse.他因滥用计算机而被解雇了。

8 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

9 potency   

n. 效力，潜能

参考例句：

• Alcohol increases the drug's potency.酒精能增加这种毒品的效力。
• Sunscreen can lose its potency if left over winter in the bathroom cabinet.如果把防晒霜在盥洗室的壁橱里放一个冬天，就有可能失效。

10 smuggle   

vt.私运；vi.走私

参考例句：

• Friends managed to smuggle him secretly out of the country.朋友们想方设法将他秘密送出国了。
• She has managed to smuggle out the antiques without getting caught.她成功将古董走私出境，没有被逮捕。

11 warehouses   

仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The whisky was taken to bonded warehouses at Port Dundee. 威士忌酒已送到邓迪港的保稅仓库。
• Row upon row of newly built warehouses line the waterfront. 江岸新建的仓库鳞次栉比。

12 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。