From MSNBC, the tale of how the DEA is spending significant resources prosecuting people for possession of khat, a stimulating leaf that’s been used in Africa for centuries, is legal in most of the Western world, and is popular among only a few African communities in the US. Why? Because it gets people mildly high and sends revenue to Somalia where maybe, just maybe, it gets to terrorists.
If this really is a problem, pursuing a high-profile case that introduces the drug to many people who’d never heard of it before and engaging in crackdowns that will increase the risk premium associated with trafficking it doesn’t strike me as the smartest solution.
Jacob Grier is a freelance writer, bartender, cocktail consultant, and magician in Portland, Oregon. He writes, eats, and drinks a lot. His articles have appeared in the print or online editions of The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, Reason, The Oregonian, and other publications.
Well, you’re not in the DEA, so what do you know? Now shut up and watch our taxpayer-funded ad about how smoking pot forces your girlfriend to run away with an alien.