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Khat in Yemen is one of the biggest problems," he says, "and there is no political effort to fight this plant."

Noaman says the plant is creating a nation of sloths, noting that even protests against the government have been known to end early so people can go home to chew. And there's an oft-told tale of the warring parties in Yemen's 1994 civil war arranging daily ceasefires so soldiers on both sides could indulge.

"In the afternoon, people in Yemen go home and eat khat only and stay five, six and some of them 12 hours at the same place without doing anything, only watching TV. In Yemen it even damaged our agriculture. We become a state or a nation which imports its food from outside Yemen."

Columbus, November 27, 2006 – For generations of eastern Africans, chewing the leaf of an indigenous plant was considered much like drinking a couple of cups of coffee.

When they immigrated to Columbus, some brought with them a taste for the stimulant that the plant provided. The only problem is that the plant, known as khat, is illegal in the U.S.

Police seizure of the plant has increased nationwide, and Somali leaders in central Ohio are now spreading the word to avoid khat. There’s a sense of urgency, because an Ohio legislator wants to make it easier to prosecute those who possess or use the plant.

Last year, Columbus police seized 78 pounds of khat. As of this October, they had seized 3,000 pounds, said Sgt. Ben Casuccio, of the narcotics bureau.