Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 14, Number 11, 1 November 1997 — KAVA [ARTICLE]

KAVA

(C ANBERR A) — The importation into Australia of the drug-like substance kava will be restricted in an effort to halt the emeiging abuse of the substance among aborigines. Kava, a compound made from the root of a pepper plant, has been used for ceremonial purposes in Pacific Island communities for generations. Prepared as a drink, kava is a mild sedative with psychoactive properties and is often consumed in rituals that somebmes Iast for days. While the medieal effects remain largely undocumented, kava use in Australia has been linked to malnutrition, yellow pealing of the skin, and complications in the nervous system.

[?]

A F F A I R S