Free Republic

1 hour, 42 minutes ago BERLIN (AFP) - Khat, a plant whose leaves are chewed as a mild drug in East Africa and the Gulf, contains chemicals that may boost male fertility, an international conference was told. Called by its Latin name of Catha edulis, khat has been known for centuries for inducing a sense of euphoria and, say some of its champions, also improves a man's sex drive and ability to sustain an erection. The stimulant in the leaves is called cathinone, which is swiftly broken down by enzymes into cathine and norephedrine, part of a group of chemicals...

A federal jury could decide today whether a 30-year-old Portland man is guilty of smuggling illegal drugs after accepting a delivery of khat, an African plant that is a popular and legal stimulant in Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan. The case in U.S. District Court is the first of its kind in Maine, but one of a growing number around the country as the traditions of new immigrants run afoul of America's strict approach to drug enforcement. Lawyers for Abdigani Hussein argued on Tuesday that khat is used by Somali refugees in much the same way coffee is used by the...

A 30-year-old man faces charges in Maine's first trial for smuggling khat, a stimulant popular in Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan, today in U.S. District Court in Portland. Differing views of the substance present a cultural divide for authorities and some members of Maine's growing immigrant communities. While the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency lists khat in the same category as cocaine or heroin, users say it is as mild as coffee, and just as harmless. On trial is Abdigani Hussein, who was arrested in April when he tried to collect 60 pounds of khat, a green leafy material, at a local...

Khat--the addictive leaf that Somali street fighters chewed in "Black Hawk Down"--is making its way to Chicago. The mild stimulant is legal in East Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and Europe, but in the United States it is classified as a Schedule One drug with no medical purpose, like heroin or marijuana. Seizures of the drug have doubled at U.S. ports of entry from 17 metric tons in 1996 to 37 tons in 2001. In Chicago, where the drug was virtually unheard of until several years ago, U.S. Customs investigators have made 49 seizures at O'Hare Airport since last October. The...

New drug, new problems Police cracking down on spread of 'khat' in Somali community Sunday, August 11, 2002 Lornet Turnbull THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH KHAT Properties: Khat, pronounced ''cot'' or ''cat,'' is a natural stimulant from the Catha edulis plant, a large flowering shrub that grows in northeastern Africa and the southern Arabian Peninsula. Cultivated for centuries, the plant is used primarily in Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen and the Middle East. Fresh khat leaves are glossy brown and contain a psychoactive ingredient chemically similar to amphetamine. The drug has two active ingredients: cathinone and cathine. Both are found in the shrub...

The Coffee OrdealBy Bereket Balcha The price of Ethiopian coffee in the international market has fallen drastically after it allegedly lowered its quality lately. Some people assert that the decline in quality could be attributed to the introduction of artificial fertilizers on the crop so far being cultivated without any. Whether it was advisable to make use of those expensively imported chemicals to increase yield is a question better left for the professional treatment of an agronomist. But having observed the consequences of this practice one could safely deduce that their disadvantages have outweighed the advantages. The matter leaves one wondering...