Khat tales: Trouble brews over Somalis' favourite drug

The Globe and Mail reports (11 June 2005) that chewing khat in Somalia is "like drinking coffee after a meal here in Canada." Chewing khat for recreational and religious purposes is a habit as common as lighting a cigarette in Somalia. But in Canada, khat has been blacklisted as a narcotic ever since Parliament passed the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act in the late 1990s.

While border officials are trumpeting seizures of $3.2-million worth of khat since January, Somali immigrants in Toronto are blaming the crackdown for festering tensions in their community. Last month, officials seized $1.1-million worth of the drug in the Greater Toronto Area, slightly up from $980,000 during the comparable period in 2004. Find the full story here.