Pubdate: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) Copyright: 1999 St. Louis Post-Dispatch Contact: http://www.postnet.com/postnet/stories.nsf/Home Forum: http://www.postnet.com/postnet/config.nsf/forums Author: Bill Lambrecht, Post-Dispatch Washington Bureau YEMEN WANTS ITS 17 MILLION PEOPLE TO JUST SAY NO TO CENTURIES-OLD HABIT SAN'A, YEMEN - Most of the men and a majority of the women in Yemen chew khat, green leaves that produce a mild narcotic effect, every day. But the government, hoping to boost productivity and the farm economy, is trying to curb its use. In Yemen, khat is the drug of choice, and has been so for centuries. Many men take off at midday to find a day's supply of khat leaves, then spend the rest of the day relaxing with friends. The leaves come from the tops of carefully tended trees. About half the water that Yemen uses for irrigation goes for khat. So much khat is grown on Yemen's erstwhile food-crop land that Yemen will need to import about 1.3 million tons of wheat this year. "I only chew khat two days a week," Khaled Alyousefi said. "This is one of the days." Alyousefi, a flight attendant, wheeled his car off the highway into a crowded market where men hawked just one product from wattle and daub huts and the backs of station wagons. They sold khat -- tender, emerald green leaves that produce a mild euphoria when chewed. In "Brave New World," Aldous Huxley's dark, futuristic novel written in the 1930s, nearly everyone ingests a drug called soma to deliver them into a world of comfort and peace. The Arabian Peninsula country of Yemen has its soma in chewing khat, a centuries-old habit that the government of this emerging democracy wants its 17 million citizens to break. Besides sapping workers' productivity, khat is viewed as a drag on Yemen's farm economy. But it's like telling Americans to quit coffee. According to surveys, 80 percent of the men in Yemen chew khat, most of them daily, from midafternoon until evening. About 60 percent of women chew, a symbol of their progress in a land where women only recently have won the ability to move about freely and to vote. This month, the government moved to curb the use of khat by ordering a national workday that runs from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. rather than the shorter version that usually occurs. Newspapers and civic leaders joined the anti-khat campaign. But people are resisting. After heading to the market about 1 p.m. to secure choice, red-tinged stems of khat for about $1.50, Yemenis enjoy a few hours of socializing. With friends, they unwrap the branches from pink cellophane, stuff leaves in their mouth and chew. And chew. And chew. They may or may not return to work. They swallow rather than spit, drinking bottle after bottle of water or cola to combat khat's desiccating effects. The result is mildly narcotic, similar to the outcome of swift and heavy coffee intake or, perhaps, amphetamines. Westerners, who typically are offered leaves throughout the day, risk a sleepless night by indulging. By late afternoon, partiers may feel a bit spacey. But, as with Aldous Huxley's soma, no one seems badly hung over. To many, khat is the glue that holds people together in an Islamic land where liquor is forbidden. It has been that way since the 10th century. Under khat's influence, people bask in one another's company, talking ceaselessly about politics, religion or, perhaps, where to get the best khat. Yemenis dotingly cultivate their national drug. Stands of shiny green khat trees look like oases in the arid foothills of central Yemen. They ought to look good -- about half the water that Yemen uses for irrigation goes for khat. So much khat is grown on Yemen's erstwhile food-crop land that Yemen will need to import about 1.3 million tons of wheat this year for the country's starchy diets. Just after dawn, workers use ladders to start their climb up the 20-foot-high trees, where they snip the most tender branches and rush them to markets. Ethiopia and East Africa also grow khat, but no country is as hooked as Yemen. As of this month, the government has forbidden police, soldiers and bureaucrats to chew on duty. To set an example, President Ali Abdullah Saleh announced that he had forsworn khat. It may take more persuasion, said Alyousefi, the flight attendant. By now, he has gathered with his friends, including prominent businessmen and a physician, for a khat-chew. Leaning on low-slung cushions spread on thick carpets, happy from their khat, they seem as comfortable as humans can get - -- except for what looks like tennis balls stuffed in their cheeks. "If the government wants us to stop, they ought to be building parks for us and give us something else to do," Alyousefi said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake