FEDS PUT THE BAG ON KHAT

TORONTO -- Nearly 1,000 kg of khat, a leafy stimulant banned in
Canada, has been seized by federal customs officers at Pearson
International Airport in the past month.

At least 28 cargo seizures of the plant have been seized, said Canada
Customs spokesperson Duncan Smith.

Grown primarily in East Africa, the plant is legal in many parts of
the world, including Britain, where it is sold in stores.

But it is a controlled substance in Canada and the U.S. where it's a
criminal offence to possess it.

No arrests have been made in connection with the Pearson seizures,
Smith said.

Khat produces a stimulative effect when chewed and its use is common
in such countries as Somalia.