Khat is a controlled drug in the Netherlands since 5 January 2013, in the United Kingdom since 24 June 2014, and in Germany through its active ingredient cathinone. In all three countries growing the plant for its leaves is not allowed. Seeds are a separate question: the Dutch and British definitions do not name them, while German law covers them when they are meant for intoxication. This page sets out the texts, with links to the official sources, as they stood on 11 October 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and a court looks at the facts of each case.
Overview
| Country | Status | Since | What is covered | Seeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | Opium Act, List II | 5 January 2013 | leaves and twigs of Catha edulis | not named |
| United Kingdom | Misuse of Drugs Act, Class C | 24 June 2014 | leaves, stems or shoots of Catha edulis | not named |
| Germany | Narcotics act (BtMG), Annex I | via cathinone | plants and plant parts with cathinone, when meant for intoxication | covered when meant for intoxication |
| Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya | legal crop | grown and traded openly | not checked |
The Netherlands
The Dutch ban took the form of a decree of 18 December 2012, published in the Staatsblad on 4 January 2013 and in force from the following day (Staatsblad 2013, 1). It added "Qat" to List II of the Opium Act, with the description de bladeren en takjes van de plant Catha Edulis Forsk., the leaves and twigs of the plant. The pure alkaloids were already controlled: cathinone on List I and cathine on List II.
For List II substances, article 3 of the Opium Act forbids bringing them into or out of the country, growing (telen), preparing, processing, selling, supplying, transporting and possessing them. The explanatory note to the decree says enforcement would focus on import, export, trade and distribution.
Seeds. The listing names leaves and twigs and does not mention seed. Growing is a separate matter. A khat plant produces exactly the leaves and twigs that are listed, and article 3 prohibits growing. We found no Dutch ruling about a single plant kept in a pot, so the safe reading is that growing khat in the Netherlands is not allowed.
The reasons given in the explanatory note: harm to users and their families, nuisance around sale and use, and the pressure on the Netherlands as a transit country now that more than half of EU member states had made importing khat a criminal offence. Parliament asked the government to evaluate the ban after two years.
The United Kingdom
Khat became a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 through the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Amendment) Order 2014, made on 27 May 2014 and in force 28 days later, on 24 June 2014. The Order defines khat as "the leaves, stems or shoots of the plant of the species Catha edulis". The Home Office circular 011/2014 explains that this makes it unlawful to possess, supply, produce, import or export khat without a licence, and introduces penalty notices for simple possession in England and Wales.
Growing. Section 37 of the Act defines "produce" as producing a drug "by manufacture, cultivation or any other method" (Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, s.37). Growing a khat plant therefore counts as producing a Class C drug.
Seeds. The definition does not include seeds. As in the Netherlands, the problem is what the seed grows into.
The ban came against the advice of the government's own experts. In January 2013 the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs concluded that khat should not be controlled, because it found no causal link between khat and the social harms attributed to it, with the exception of liver toxicity (ACMD 2013). The government decided otherwise.
Germany
German law works through substances. Annex I of the BtMG lists cathinone as a narcotic that may not be traded or prescribed; Annex III lists cathine, with exceptions for certain low-dose preparations.
Khat itself is covered by a general clause at the end of Annex I. It brings in plants and plant parts that contain a listed substance, "wenn ein Missbrauch zu Rauschzwecken vorgesehen ist", when they are intended for use as an intoxicant. The same clause covers "biological materials suitable for reproduction" of such plants under the same condition. The definition of a plant in section 2 BtMG includes "Pflanzen ... sowie deren Teile und Bestandteile in bearbeitetem oder unbearbeitetem Zustand".
In practice: khat leaves for chewing are a narcotic in Germany, and so are khat seeds or plants once the purpose is intoxication.
Elsewhere
- United States. Cathinone has been in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act since 1993 and cathine is handled as Schedule IV. Khat is not named as such; federal authorities regard fresh leaves as cathinone-containing material (Erowid summary of US khat law).
- International. Under the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances cathinone is in Schedule I and cathine in Schedule III. The plant itself is not under international control, which is why rules differ so much from country to country.
- Where khat is grown. In Yemen, Ethiopia and Kenya khat is a legal crop and is traded openly (ACMD 2013, paragraph 32).
What this means for seeds
Across the three European countries on this page, one line is consistent: the leaves are controlled, and growing a plant to produce them is not allowed. Seeds kept as seeds are not named in the Dutch and British texts; in Germany they are covered as soon as intoxication is the purpose. Anyone outside these countries should check the law where they live before doing anything with the seed. More about the seed itself is on khat seeds up close.