"We were drugged": Is khat preventing the revolution in Yemen?
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There is an interactive poll running on the homepage of the Yemen Times which asks: "Do you think khat affects the political process in Yemen?" You can .
Khat is illegal in the United States and the World Health Organization classifies it as a drug that can cause mild psychological dependence. But 80 per cent of men andÌý45Ìýpercent of women in Yemen are regular khat leaf chewers
Thousands of people in Yemen during the past few weeks. But Khalid al-Hamri, a student in Yemen, it would be pointless to protest in the afternoon: "In the morning, all the government officials are in their offices. They will hear our protests. In the afternoon, nobody will listen to us because everybody is chewing khat."
Khaled Abdullah suggests in an article for Reuters that khat addiction ÌýThe article quotes aluminum worker Ahmed al-Hazoura: "Nothing quiets people like khat ... If it wasn't for khat, everyone here would be in the streets protesting."
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blogs that it is a "chronic national addiction", leaving the corrupt government "relegated to the attic of their memories in evening khat ceremonies."
Yemenforchange tweeted: "We were drugged & unfortunately most of us still drugged but it's time to wake up."
But this blogger
How does khat addiction affect the political process in Yemen ? Post your thoughts here.
