In early August our own Tom Barlow reported on the DEA's increasing busts of the growing trade in khat leaves here in Ohio. The plant is a stimulant classified as a drug in the U.S. but is a big part of culture and custom in eastern Africa. Immigrants from that region have kept the taste, even though its illegal here in the US.

The police are still stepping up their efforts as signs have grown that khat distribution is growing. According to the Columbus Dispatch last year the police snagged 78 pounds of the stuff in Columbus. This year they snagged 3,000 pounds.

While many African immigrant leaders and associations here in Ohio are trying to spread the word that khat can be addictive and causes problems in the community (like alcohol it's supposed to be shunned by Muslim Africans) it still grows.

And here's something to chew on: even in Africa, some of the countries that have seen heavy khat use have now made it illegal, like Somalia.