Dralkamel / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Products marketed in Israel as natural “khat drops” contained methamphetamine in laboratory tests of seized samples, the Health Ministry and Israel Police warned Sunday, urging consumers not to buy or consume the products.
The joint warning puts the focus on a danger shoppers may not recognize from a supposedly natural label: the seized products contained a synthetic drug with high addiction potential whose consumption can be life-threatening, the authorities said.
In their November 8 public warning, police and the ministry’s enforcement and supervision division said they had identified the marketing and distribution of drugs disguised as a product called “khat drops.” Laboratory testing of the products seized found methamphetamine.
“Marketing a dangerous drug under the guise of a supposedly natural product is a particularly serious phenomenon,” the authorities said in a statement translated from Hebrew. They warned that consumers can be exposed to significant health dangers without realizing they are taking a dangerous drug.
A warning about drops, drinks and capsules
The warning goes beyond the methamphetamine findings in the seized products. The authorities said extracts and preparations containing substances derived from the khat plant, including drops, drinks and capsules, fall under Israel’s Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. Consuming, marketing and producing those preparations is prohibited by law, they said.
For consumers, the instruction is direct: avoid purchasing or consuming products marketed as derived from khat, including those sold under the name “khat drops.” A seller’s description of a product as natural does not remove the drug risk identified by the laboratory findings or the legal restrictions described in the warning.
The Health Ministry and police asked the public to report suspected marketing or distribution to enforcement authorities. Their appeal is aimed at stopping the products from reaching more consumers, including people who may believe they are buying a natural preparation rather than a dangerous drug.
Illustrative photograph of khat leaves, not a seized product.
JBizNews Desk | Israel
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