In Australia, Cathine is officially a schedule 4 drug prescription only, but is not available or approved for any medical use.
In Hong Kong, cathine is regulated under Schedule 1 of Hong Kong's Chapter 134 Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. Unlawful possession is punishable by severe fines and imprisonment.
Pregnancy
Ephedra, found in many Ephedraceae species, is a Chinese and Western herb that contains, among other amphetamines, D-norpseudoephedrine. In the National Birth Defects Prevention Study, which included 18,438 women from 10 states from 1999 to 2003, 1.3% of women reported using ephedra during pregnancy. During the trial, five cases of anencephaly were born to women who used ephedra, however there was no statistically significantassociation to women not using ephedra (odds ratio 2.8, confidence interval 1.0–7.3).[7]
A small study of 642 participants in Yemen found that among pregnant women who chewed khat (containing D-norpseudoephedrine) there was no increased risk of stillbirth or congenital malformations.[8] Among lactating women who chew khat, D-norpseudoephedrine is found in breastmilk.[9]
^Nakajima M, Jebena MG, Taha M, Tesfaye M, Gudina E, Lemieux A, et al. (October 2017). "Correlates of khat use during pregnancy: A cross-sectional study". Addictive Behaviors. 73: 178–184. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.05.008. PMID28531823.
^Kristiansson B, Abdul Ghani N, Eriksson M, Garle M, Qirbi A (September 1987). "Use of khat in lactating women: a pilot study on breast-milk secretion". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 21 (1): 85–90. doi:10.1016/0378-8741(87)90097-3. PMID3695559.