In Kenya miraa (khat) trade is safe and sound. British Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he would not ban miraa, or khat, in the UK, the main market for Kenya and hub for Europe.
The announcement followed a decision of the Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse, to whom Mr Clarke had forwarded a report which said 49 percent of the local Somalis wanted the drug banned.
Now here in Atlanta and the United States at large, this a completely different story. Officials in Bartow County said one person was arrested after they seized $250,000 worth of a rare drug during a traffic stop on Interstate 75. Officers said they found a large quantity of the rare drug, khat, during a search of the vehicle. Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force Commander Capt. Mark Mayton said K-9 deputies initiated a traffic stop on I-75 northbound near the Cass-White exit just before midnight on Aug. 11 for failure to maintain lane. Mayton said that in his nearly 20-year career he has never seen khat. *trying to picture his reaction!*
This is almost laughable to me. Whether Khat (miraa) is a drug remains highly debatable to many. Khat growing and trading is legal in East Africa and is a source of income for many.
The victim culprit, Hussein Dahir Sheikaden, 31, of Stone Mountain, Geogia, got arrested. He was charged with trafficking a schedule 1 narcotic and failure to maintain lane. He is in jail pending bond hearing.
I do not condone breaking the law but knowing what he was carrying, shouldn't this fool have paid more attention to his driving and avoid drawing attention to himself from law enforcement? Stay in your lane!! *unless of course he was 'under the influence' from his own stash* Most drug busts on the road result from a basic traffic law violation!
**Khat is a plant that contains the alkaloid called cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant which is said to cause excitement, loss of appetite and euphoria.
