Medical professionals have objected to a move to exempt miraa (khat) from being categorised as narcotic drugs in a proposed amendment bill.

They say the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Amendment Bill 2024 seeks to legalise the sedative and that this is ill advised.

The principal objective of the bill, which is sponsored by the government and is expected to be tabled in the National Assembly by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, is to delete cathinone and cathine – the  substances found in miraa that make it a stimulant – from the ambits of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act.

Miraa is a recognised crop under the Second Schedule of the 2013 Crops Act and is a source of livelihood for many Kenyans.

The bill seeks to amend the existing law to exempt miraa from being categorised as narcotic substance.

Through the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya (PSK), the medics wrote an advisory to the Health Cabinet Secretary citing their reasons for opposingo the amendment.

The bill seeks to exempt cathinone and cathine, substances found in the miraa crop (catha edulis), from being classified as psychotropic substances.

Objecting to the bill, PSK officials from the Kiambu and Murang’a regions maintained that there is medical and scientific evidence to prove the opposite.

The bill suggests that the classification of the product as a psychotropic by the anti-drug abuse agency Nacada hurts the market for miraa despite government efforts to boost the sector.

“However, we the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya are strongly opposed to the amendment and argue that it contradicts the Kenyan Constitution and international conventions to which Kenya is a party,” the group says in a statement.

“We emphasise the health risks associated with cathinone and cathine which are internationally recognised as psychotropic substances that can negatively affect mental health.”