CURIOUS ABOUT THAT KHAT

Chewing Somali Leaf Is Said To Be Relaxing, But Is Also Now Illegal

He is a Somali, he doesn't know me from Adam, and I have just walked into
his office and told him I want to find some khat.

He is cautious.

He has reason to be.

He is a young man, well-educated, well-spoken, in a position of some
responsibility in the Somali community, and the cops have recently cracked
down hard on khat.

He sizes me up and decides to tell me what he, and everybody else in the
Somali community, knows. "We could get khat right now if this were England.
It's very hard to get here. We used to be able to get it, but now ..."

I've never seen khat, but I've heard about it -- tell me, what does it look
like?

"It's a long thin leaf. It grows on a tree. Most Somalis have never seen
this tree; only the farmers. There are three kinds of leaf: One is miro,
another is hareri, another is gisibom. Gisi is the small one, as long as
your middle finger, thinner than a pencil. Miro is six inches long, and
very shiny. Hareri is 7.5 inches long. It's like this -- you have different
kinds of beer, we have different kinds of khat."

What does it taste like?

"It is like coffee with no sugar. For us, it is a sociable thing. An aid to
conversation. If you see your best friend after a long time, you have lots
to talk about, you get together, you have khat and chat. After chewing
khat, you are not violent. It merely makes you more alert."

How is it sold?

"It is usually nicely folded in a burlap bag, the way some kinds of rice
are sold. You know, in many parts of the world, khat is legal. You can get
it in Holland, in Sudan, in Yemen, in the United Arab Emirates. Let me ask
you -- who is the head of Canada?"

The prime minister.

"No, it is the Queen. Where does she live? She lives in England! In
England, khat is legal. Why is it not legal here? It costs perhaps $3 for
one pound in England. In Nairobi, $1; in Yemen less than $1; in Egypt,
almost $1; in Djibouti it is $1."

How do you know ?

"I have friends all over the world; they tell me."

Actually, in England it isn't exactly legal -- it's just not illegal. But
that's a quibble. How much does khat cost here?

"It used to cost perhaps $10 per pound. Now, since the government put on
restrictions, it costs as much as $70 per pound. If you can get it. It is,
of course, very hard to get."

How old were you when you first chewed khat?

"I was a young man, perhaps 17 years old. I was with friends from school.
That's the earliest age you chew it. You try it out when you're young. As
you mature, you use it or you don't. Not everyone does it."

Do women chew?

"Not usually women. Usually men. We are Muslims. In our society, it is
shameful to smoke. If men drink alcohol, it is shameful. After work, you
want to relax. So we chew khat."

How do you feel about the recent arrests of young Somalis for possession of
the leaf?

"The police stop our young people -- if they see you chewing gum, they ask
you to open your mouth in case you are chewing khat. It's no more a drug
than caffeine. It is not right. We want to be law-abiding citizens, but let
me ask you this: If there was a civil war and you Canadians fled to Somalia
to escape the gunshots, the famine, no jobs -- you would sometimes want to
have a beer. How would you like it if we threw you in jail for a beer?"

So, um, is it really harmless?

"It's a mild stimulant. It is a sociable thing only. You talk. You feel
more creative. I could chew 10 pounds of khat, it would not affect me as
bad as two beer. What can I say? We don't want to violate the law. But we
will be asking the government to reconsider, and to do studies."

How shall I put this -- I don't want to get anyone into trouble -- can I
try some?

"I don't have any. It is very hard to get. Remember, sir, it is illegal."