Turning Another Corner in the War on Drugs

Thank God we're cracking down on this latest evil. Heroin? Crack? Meth? Nope, it’s even worse — Khat. What, you haven’t even heard of it? Khat is a dangerous drug used by swarthy immigrants from Somalia.

It’s a plant that’s grown in the mountains of East Africa. The leaves and shoots of this plant are chewed; it’s basically a stimulant. The plant contains cathinone — haven’t heard of that one either, right? — which became a controlled substance in 1993.

Khat is not only legal in Somalia — it’s an accepted drug. It’s almost a ritual among families and friends.

But here it’s a different story. In Seattle a 30-year-old Somali immigrant — Jama Absiya (he's now a U.S. citizen) — was greeted by six DEA agents when he got home from work one day. He was dumbfounded when they told him he was a suspect in a major drug case. He was charged with conspiracy to import and distribute Khat.

Absiya says his father used to give him a Khat stem to chew on when he was studying for an exam. When guests came to the house, Khat was a social ritual that everyone took part in. He said he had been looking forward to the day when he’d be chewing Khat with his own son.

Apparently not. We can't allow that sort of thing here.