ILLEGAL PLANT GROWN FOR MEDICINE, MAN CLAIMS

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The first person in this country arrested for
growing a rare and exotic East African stimulant claimed on Thursday that he
was cultivating the plant for medicinal purposes.

Musa Ahmed Gelan, 40, of Prunedale, Calif., pleaded innocent in U.S.
District Court to manufacturing a controlled substance known as khat,
pronounced "cot." His lawyer, Donald Foley, said Gelan was growing khat to
help control his diabetes.

"He had no idea anything was illegal about this," Foley said. "The plants
are part of his ethnic background."

If convicted, Gelan could face up to 20 years in prison.

The leafy, reddish khat is popular with people in Ethiopia, Somalia and
Tanzania, and the Middle Eastern country of Yemen, Gelan's homeland. When
chewed, users say it produces a mild euphoria.

Khat is illegal in the United States because it contains an amphetamine-like
substance in the same category as heroin.

Gelan was arrested in September when federal and state authorities raided
his quarter-acre field and seized more than 1,000 plants. Drug enforcement
officials said it was the first outdoor khat plantation discovered in the
country.

Checked-by: Don Beck