The Oxford Press
By Richard Wilson
Staff Writer
Friday, July 13, 2007
 Markani Osman, also known as Hasan Osman, is a 27-year-old Somalian immigrant from Nashville, Tenn. who was sentenced July 12 in Warren County for possessing more than 31 grams of khat. Click to enlarge |
Markani Osman, 27, of Nashville, Tenn., was sentenced to two years probation and 80 hours of community service for possessing more than 31 grams of khat, a schedule I narcotic under Ohio law, said Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel.
The Somalian immigrant, also known as Hasan Osman, was pulled over Dec. 9 on I-71 for a registration violation, according to police records. Officers discovered Osman was chewing the green, leafy substance and had bags of it under his seat and on the floor board. When officers asked Osman what he was chewing, he said tobacco at first, and then tea, Hutzel said. Osman must also pay a $1,000 fine and had his driver's license suspended for six months, Hutzel said.
Khat, pronounced "cot," also known as Abyssinian tea or African salad, is widely-used in Somalia, Yemen and Ethiopia for its stimulating effects,
Hutzel said she has seen only a few cases in Warren County involving the drug, adding that abuse cases are more prevalent in cities like Columbus that have significant populations of East African immigrants.
"Although immigrants may see nothing wrong with the use of khat based on the laws of their home country, it is a dangerous, hallucinogenic drug," Hutzel said.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4541 or [email protected].
Source: The Oxford Press, July 13, 2007