Chewing khat changes brother into angry stranger

By Manal Ali

Editor’s note: the names of the author and her brother have been changed to protect their privacy.

When I come in the door from school, my brother, I hear you fight with your friends and I can see you in your room chewing “khat.”

From the Internet, I have learned that the branches of dried leaves are a natural stimulant from the Catha edulis plant, a large shrub which grows in East Africa and Southern Arabia. Fresh khat leaves are crimson-brown and glossy but become yellow-green when they dry. They also emit a strong smell.

Back in Africa, our father says, men use khat as a recreational and religious drug. Our father’s use of khat is one reason our parents divorced. Now our mother worries about you.

When you chew khat, Mohamed, you act silly sometimes and fight with no purpose. You are always talkative, and you have difficulty in sleeping.

Usually, I make myself stay calm, but one time I couldn’t control myself. I stood up and said “Mohamed, you need to stop using khat for your own health and for us.”

You laughed and said, “Mind your own business. You don’t know anything.”

But I’m learning a lot. When I talked to the school nurse about teens and drugs, she said that marijuana is the illegal drug American teens use most often. They may want to fit in with friends or groups. They may also like the way it makes them feel. Or they may believe that it makes them more grown up. They may take drugs because it seems exciting.

I think you use khat for those reasons. You’re having a hard time adjusting to life in America.

I also learned that drug abuse is a leading cause of teen death or injury related to car accidents, suicides, and violence.

Drug use can lead to serious problems such as poor schoolwork, loss of friends, problems at home, and lasting legal problems.

I know that you want to fit in your friends, Mohamed, but this is just not good for your health. When you are chewing khat, I don’t see my friend or my big brother. I see a different person who can’t control himself.