USE OF DRUG KHAT IS TIED TO IMMIGRANTS

COLUMBUS, Ohio - An influx of immigrants from Somalia and other African and
Middle Eastern countries has led in some United States cities to increased
use of the illegal drug khat, a leaf that is chewed for its amphetaminelike
high, authorities say.

Khat has been turning up in cities like Detroit and New York since the
1980's. But it was virtually unknown in Columbus and Minneapolis until the
late 1990's, law enforcement authorities say.

Use of the drug appears to be confined largely to immigrant groups, the
police in Columbus and Minneapolis say.

Khat has been illegal in the United States since 1993. Chronic use can
cause violence and suicidal depression, much the way amphetamine addiction
can, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The growing presence of khat in the last several years has accompanied an
increase in immigration from countries like Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and
Yemen, where khat is widely used, the authorities say.

"What coffee is to Americans is what khat is for Somalis," said Omar Jamal,
the executive manager of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul.

"The whole thing about khat being addictive is very strange for Somalis,"
Mr. Jamal said. "It's a completely different frame of thinking."

Community groups say the immigrants who use khat are not aware they are
breaking the law. The police say they are confident immigrants know that
khat is illegal.

Khat leaves contain cathinone, which is chemically similar to amphetamine.
The leaves, shiny and bright green or reddish-green, are sold attached to
thin, rhubarblike stems. A bundle of 15 to 35 sticks costs about $40 in
Columbus. Users often brew the leaves or stuff them in their cheeks like
chewing tobacco.

Most khat that makes its way to the United States comes from East Africa,
where it is a major export. Because the potency of khat sharply drops after
48 hours, it is usually delivered by air express or by courier, law
enforcement officials say.

According to the D.E.A., the only known case of khat cultivation in the
United States was in Salinas, Calif., where the authorities seized 1,076 of
the plants in 1998.

In Hennepin County, which includes the Minneapolis, khat-related charges
have been filed against 10 to 20 people in the last year, said Dan Rogan, a
spokesman for the county attorney's office. St. Paul-Minneapolis has the
nation's largest Somali population, estimated at up to 50,000.

In Columbus, where an estimated 30,000 Somalis make up the second-biggest
concentration in the United States, the police have seized 860 pounds of
khat this year. Sgt. Ben Casuccio said that in all of 2001 the police in
Columbus seized 633 pounds. In 2000, they confiscated about 8.5 pounds.

The number of khat-related charges in Columbus was not available because
authorities do not classify charges by drug.

Nationally, D.E.A and Customs officials said they seized about 40 tons of
khat in 2001, more than double the amount confiscated in 1996.