It’s no brain foodQat is a waste of time [Archives:2004/783/Health]

By Nawal Zeid
For the Yemen Times
If we concentrated on the talk about qat and as a negative phenomenon, we will discover a disease difficult to cure.
Chewing qat became a familiar and desirable habit practiced by the majority of people within the Yemeni society.
Qat chewing is not useful more than being wastage of time and money with the passage of days. Besides, it has bad effects on the health of the chewer as well as his mind.
The person who always consumes these leaves is almost perceived in abnormal mood, and the addicted of such narcotic substance live most of their life in miserable economic circumstances.
We find that there are many people who prefer spending much money on Qat to the basic needs of their children and houses. These people do not care even for the upbringing and education of their children.
The majority of Yemeni youths waste much of their time on Qat sessions and ignore doing some important activities. Of the harms of Qat is its being an economical and agricultural problem; a lot of farmers are found to uproot useful trees of fruits and vegetables and replace them by thy plantation of Qat , thinking that it will add to their income.
Health problems widely spread among people in the Yemeni society are undoubtedly the consequence of eating the leaves of Qat, which are exposed to several poisonous pesticides used to help Qat trees grow within a short period of time.
For many chewers, including women, old men and teenagers, this narcotic substance became the source of energy and self-satisfaction. School children who are addicted to Qat chewing neglect their study and drop out their education. In addition, parents join Qat sessions outside their houses while their children seize it as a chance to stray in the streets and then to be immorally deviated. This situation of the children became more difficult to manipulate later on.
Dozens of people, heavily addicted to this narcotic substance, are often perceived in abnormal states and bad temper. After removing this substance of their mouths, they find difficult interacting with each other or even understanding one another.
Finally, I suggest some solutions that can help overcome the phenomenon of Qat and its effects as:
– Spreading awareness among people all over the country and looking at the matter more seriously.
– Farmers and landowners must gradually reduce the plantation of Qat and the increase the plantation of other useful trees.
– Parents should pay attention towards their children; not to allowing them approach this substance.
– Parents themselves are recommended to give up chewing Qat and care for the education of their children.
– Parents should instruct their children about what is harmful and what is useful for their future.
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