The Flower of Paradise. The Institutionalized Use of the Drug Qat in North Yemen. 1987. 268 p. gr8vo. Cloth.

Contains the results of atwo-year study of the sociological, cultural, economical, and healthimplications of the uses of the drug Quat in North Yemen. Qat is astimulant drug used on a daily or weekly basis by the majority of thepeople in North Yemen, as well as by many other populations around theRed Sea. The book demonstrates the profound importance of Qat in Yemenisociety and culture, and assesses the effects of this. The study isamong the most thorough examinations of any institutionalized drug,which has important general implications for understanding the integrations of substance use into societies anywhere. The findingsreported here have not been written solely for specialists, but can beunderstood to those who know nothing of Yemen society, or of thetechnical literature drug use. - Contents: Introduction/ History andSocial Structure of North Yemen/ A Short History of Qat and its Use/ ASocial Institution/ The Qat Experience/ The Agriculture and Economics ofQat/ The Botany, Chemistry, and Pharmacology of Qat/ Qat and theQuestion of Addiction/ Qat and Health/ Conclusion.