NARCOTIC LEAF IS KEY TO YEMENI LIFE IN BRITAIN

SHEFFIELD, England, July 15 (Reuters) - On the floor of a disused
northern English corner shop, hidden from the world by boarded-up
windows, a group of Yemeni men lie waiting for a delivery of narcotic
leaves to help while away their day.

They are slouching on mattresses around the edge of the room,
barefoot, quietly anticipating a long afternoon of relaxed
conversation fuelled by "qat" leaves, a natural stimulant with the
qualities of a mild amphetamine.

Chewing qat leaves, which come from a plant of the same name, is a
daily ritual for men in the tiny Arab state of Yemen, and it remains
central to social life for Yemeni communities living away from home.

"Where English people go to the pub and have a drink, we chew qat,"
said Ibrahim Hassan, who works with Arab and African refugees in the
northern industrial city of Sheffield, home to a high number --
around 9,000 -- of Yemenis.

Branches of qat are picked from bushes in the fields of Yemen and
Somalia, collected into bundles, sprinkled with water and wrapped in
banana leaves to keep them fresh during their flight to London.

They are then distributed at markets and cafes in London, Birmingham
and Sheffield by qat sellers, at around five pounds ($6.91) for 400
grams (14 ounces), a 200 percent mark-up on the street price in
Yemen, according to Hassan.

Once the branches have been picked, the race is on to deliver them to
market. The green leaves and the most tender parts of the stem
contain cathonine, a natural stimulant which produces a mild high
after prolonged chewing, but which breaks down and loses it potency
after 48 hours.

"It arrives in London around four in the morning, and we usually get
it by early afternoon," said Hassan, eagerly unwrapping his bundle of
30 or so branches, enough to last a about six hours.

Although there could be up to 20 "qat sessions" going on across
Sheffield on any afternoon, each with around 30 participants, the
market for the plant was seasonal, Hassan said.

Demand

"There are high seasons. The week after Ramadan we chew a lot, every
night until just before dawn. We also chew a lot the week after Haj,"
he said, referring to the Muslim fasting month and the pilgrimage to
Mecca.

Yemen Airways, one of the airlines that carry qat as cargo to London,
said it typically carried around 400 kg (880 lb) of the plant twice
weekly from the Yemeni capital Sanaa. "That's around 20 boxes full
each time, but at Ramadan we carried three times that much in one
flight," a spokeswoman said.

In the United States cathonine is illegal and classified alongside
heroin and cocaine, but in Britain, the Medicine Controls Agency of
the government's Department of Health says it considers it a medicine
with no anti-social side effects.

Sheffield's qat chewers agree. "When my son is 15 or 16, I would
rather he chewed qat with us rather than going out and mixing with
the wrong people or getting into hard drugs," said Sameh Mukerker,
who had travelled from Birmingham for the session.

Bulging Cheeks

The smallest leaves, and the most tender parts of the stem, are the
choicest pickings. They are consumed by slowly stuffing more and more
leaves into the left cheek, where they are crushed but not swallowed,
allowing the juice to enter the blood stream through the gum.

For the expert, the result is a stimulation of the senses. For the
uninitiated, it is sore gums and constipation.

As their cheeks began to bulge, the 30 or so people in the room
agreed that the medicinal qualities of qat needed more research, but
its psychological effects were clear to see.

"It makes you happy, and it makes you sexier," Mukerker said. "If you
are not sure if you love someone, you will know after chewing qat. My
wife loves me when I chew," he said, slurping on a plastic bottle of
water mixed with honey, to prevent dehydration and take away the
bitter taste.

Effects

The effects of chewing comes in stages, according to some experienced
users. "To begin with we joke around, then people quieten down a bit
and watch TV, then we have discussions," said Salem Alsanki, who
works selling car parts in Birmingham, and has conducted research on
the effects of qat.

The World Health Organisation does not consider qat an addictive
drug, although it does describe it as "dependence inducing."

A study by the Yemeni government last year said about 90 percent of
Yemeni male adults, 40 percent of female adults and 30 percent of
children under 15 chewed qat regularly, either daily or weekly.

"They spend about 30 percent of their income on qat in Yemen,"
Alsanki said, adding that one or two of the small evergreen bushes
would be enough to last a family a whole year. Yemen, bordered by
oil-rich Saudi Arabia, is the poorest country in the Arab world.

Qat-chewing Yemenis are proud to admit they are regular users. "I
only chew it occasionally. But then, I have an occasion every day,"
said Mukerker.

The jovial banter of the first three hours died down a little, when
the time came for the Yemeni television news, and an older member of
the community began to discuss more serious issues.

"When an elder speaks, the younger ones will immediately quieten down
in deference and respect," Alsanki explained, as the qat session
turned into a type of council meeting on problems within the Yemeni
community in England.

Council Of Elders

The qat session is more than just a social event enabling Yemeni
expatriates to remind themselves of home, those taking part
explained. Members of various communities attend the sessions, some
from other cities or parts of Sheffield, and some representing
mixed-race families or new arrivals in England.

"We talk about the well-being of our community here in Sheffield and
other communities in England," Alsanki explained.

The Arab community was proud of its self-sufficiency, and its ability
to manage its own problems without recourse to outside help, he said.

"We meet friends here, we help each other," he said. "It is here we
make the decision to help one of the community if they are going
bankrupt. If families have lost their father, we help the kids to
study, we help them to find jobs."

Relations with the wider community in Sheffield were extremely good
as a result, Mukerker said. "We fight crime here, to protect our
reputation as Arabs," he said. "If an Arab commits a crime, we make a
council here and punish him."

The worst punishment for an Arab man was losing the respect of his
elders, Alsanki explained. "We will even exile people if necessary.
He will lose all respect in the eyes of the community. That kills an
Arabic man," he said.

A few weeks ago, a teenager in the community had been beaten up by a
gang of youths while out at a club in Sheffield. One of the elders
suspected the teenager was planning to get a group of friends
together from the community to go and retaliate.

"That is when we get involved," Alsanki said. Elders warned the boy
that if he retaliated, the situation would turn into a war and
jeopardise the standing of Arabs in the eyes of the wider community.
"We are protecting a long-term relationship, and more importantly our
reputation," Alsanki said.

"People outside don't understand this, but they certainly feel the results."