AUTHORITIES KEEP EYE ON NEW DRUG

LEWISTON, Maine - A drug called khat, a chewable amphetamine from a tree
grown in East Africa, has begun to show up in the Lewiston area and police
are bracing for a wider emergence of the drug.

Chewing khat in paste form or drinking it like tea causes a user to feel
energetic and blissful, an effect likened to that of cocaine, officials said.

Because khat is not listed on Maine statutes as a scheduled drug, it is
technically not illegal in the state. But anyone caught trafficking in khat
or using it will face federal charges, drug agents said.

Police and drug agents in Maine have become more familiar with khat after
shipments to New England were intercepted. Khat is believed to be coming to
the United States along with thousands of immigrants from Somalia.

"We're not targeting or criticizing any segment of our population," said
Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Supervisor Gerry Baril. "But the influx of
immigrants from the East African region seems to be directly correlated to
the availability of the drug."

In Lewiston, where more than 750 Somali immigrants have come to live in the
past year, police are getting educated. "We are aware of the drug and what
it does," said Lewiston police Sgt. Michael McGonagle. "We have not seen a
problem with it, but we've been made aware."

Baril said the MDEA has already investigated cases of khat use or
distribution, but he could not be more specific.

Khat is usually packaged in plastic bags or wrapped in banana leaves when
it is prepared for shipment. It may be sold as dried or crushed leaves or
in powdered form, according to a University of Pennsylvania study of the drug.

There was no information available on how much the drug might sell for in
Maine. But according to national statistics, a bundle of khat leaves might
be sold for between $30 and $50 while a kilogram will fetch between $300
and $400 in cities such as Boston or New York.