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Title is Arial, size
18, bold, doublespaced, centred.
Hints at topic (onesided argument)
QAT:
A CATASTROPHE?
Other info is
Arial, size 12,
NOT bold, 1.5
spacing, centred
Academic Essay
Mohamed Al Perfectus, H00059813
English 124 - December 12, 2007
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optional - if used,
it should be
linked with topic
KHAT: A CATASTROPHE?
Title Arial, size 12, centred,
underlined, bold. Margins minimum 2.5 cm each.
“Catha edulis” is a shrub found in tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
What is it? None other than qat (khat). Many people think this drug is harmless but
actually qat use has several noteworthy disadvantages which I will outline below.
Poor mental and physical health is one undeniable effect. Almost three decades
ago, “the World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse that can
producing … moderate psychological dependence” (“Khat”). What’s more, it contains the
stimulant cathinone which increases heart rate and blood pressure and therewith
myocardial infarction (Al Motarreb, Baker, & Broadley). Severe overdoses can even
cause deaths (Slomski).
Another problem is the amount of money spent on qat.
While it is true qat farmers make money, the cost for heavy users
and their families is staggering. Studies show, for instance, that
some Yemenis devote up to 33% of their income to the drug (“Qat
about that”, 40). As a result, less money is available for other
crucial needs such as food and education.
Paragraphs are
indented. Arial
size 12, 1.5
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need 3+ in-text
citations from 3
different sources
(magazine,
encyclopedia,
website, etc.).
A final issue is the disproportionate amount of land used to cultivate this plant.
Case in point, many areas in Yemen and Ethiopia have been converted from basic
staple food crops to qat, a more lucrative cash crop. This makes nations more
dependent on imported food. Moreover, cultivation is leading to a water shortage.
According to government figures, “khat consumes 75% of Yemen's irrigation
capabilities” (Slomski). There have even been small-scale water wars in parts of Yemen.
To conclude, qat has played an important traditional role in many countries for
centuries. It is time, however, for people to chew on larger issues. Qat threatens health,
family income, and agriculture: for these catastrophic reasons, among others, it should
not be chewed.
Word count: 289
Give word count, minimum 250, at the end. Arial, size 10,
align text left, not bold. Page numbers are not really
needed since the essay is short (none on title page).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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underlined, centred
Al-Motarreb, Ahmed, Kathryn Baker & Kenneth J Broadley. “Khat: pharmacological and
medical aspects and its social use in Yemen”. PubMed (NCBI). Aug. 2002. PubMed. 6
Dec. 2007. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&uid=12203257&cmd=
showdetailview&indexed=google>.
“Catha edulis.” Genevieve T. Slomski. Drugs and Controlled Substances: Information for
Students. Ed. Stacey L. Blachford and Kristine Krapp. Detroit: Gale, 2003.
"Khat."
Wikipedia. Feb. 2007. Wikimedia Foundation. 6 Dec. 2007
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khat>.
“Qat about that? (shrub chewed by Yemenis)”. The Economist (US) v314.n7644 (March 3,
1990): p. 40.
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Sources are listed in alphabetical order but not numbered (so A, C, K, Q). Arial size 12,
left justified, not bold. 1.5 spacing with an extra space between each source. The text is
also justified (or aligned left).
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The author’s family name normally comes first. When there is more than one author,
given name comes first for second and third authors. See source 1.
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When an article is in a book (with many authors and an editor), the article title comes
before the author. See source 2, Slomski.
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Book, magazine, and encyclopedia titles are underlined whereas article titles are in
“quotation marks”.
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For a website, you should give both the date it was last updated and the date you
found the information online. See sources 1 & 3.
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If page numbers are given for a magazine (online or not), you should give them at the
end. See source 4.
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Sources in the bibliography must correspond with the sources cited (given) in the text.
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For more information, consult citationmachine.net or bibme.org (Click on MLA).