Misinformation and resilience
THE revival of kava as an export commodity in recent times has been welcomed by kava producing countries in the Pacific.
In the aftermath of the Pacific kava export’s short-lived boom in the 1990s and its subsequent ban in 2000 by Germany who linked kava to liver damage, countries in the Pacific have been trying their level best to revive the kava export market. After a hiatus of almost two decades, the Pacific’s common crop is now back in business, with interest now expressed from governments in Australia, New Zealand, the US and the European Union. In a three-part series that ends today, UK-based freelance journalist Mattha Louis Busby and the Kava Coalition — an alliance of kava consumers, experts and industry leaders based in the US who are advancing kava education, advocacy and choice - explore the history behind the ill-fated kava ban and potential now for a future where kava is consumed globally.
Kava today, changing the narrative
ABAN on human consumption (based on the misinformation described in Parts One and Two) remains in the UK and across the EU, while kava is also subject to certain restrictions severely impinging upon the development of its market in Canada, Switzerland, Japan, and elsewhere. Some view the kava ban within a historical context since Christian missionaries in the South Pacific had attempted to ban it, too, seeking to sever the connection of those they sought to convert to Western religions with the gods of their ancestral traditions who could be accessed while under the influence of kava.
“Much of kava’s sanctity derived from stories of its origin that connected kava to indigenous gods,” says one Hawaii kava farm on its website. “For the missionaries who arrived in the South Pacific in the early to mid-1800s, the connection between kava and native gods was part of the trappings of idolatry that had to be torn down before the indigenous people could be converted to Christianity.” Efforts were made to ban kava drinking throughout a number of South Pacific societies since the practice was a pillar of indigenous religion. “The colonial experience in islands like Vanuatu was brutal,” says historian Mike Jay, the author of Psychonauts: Drugs and the Making of the Modern Mind. “Protestant missionaries banned kava, along with singing and dancing and other traditions.” As a result, kava — deeply woven into the fabric of society — became a powerful cultural symbol for the independence movement.
Restrictions and response
Restrictions were imposed on how kava could be harvested and transported, and when it could be consumed. Colonial authorities in Tanna prohibited the transportation of kava between villages, disrupting supply lines that threatened to imperil indigenous social customs, including the ritualistic drinking of kava to welcome guests. The local response was to relax conventions around kava use – leading to its transformation from a ceremonial to a partly secular drink. “It can be a medicine, a social lubricant, a source of visions, a ceremonial libation, but it’s not a ‘drug’,” Jay adds.
The past is a mirror of the present. Today, kava is still tainted by the German affair, despite the aforementioned overwhelming evidence that it is safe. Michael Louze, Vanuatu Kava Industry Association chair, says that the enduring impact of the regulatory response continues to be felt. “There is still a stigma,” he says. Search kava online, and discover how the beverage is still tainted by the affair, and to a degree that he believes to be wholly disproportionate. A recent New York Times article noted that it “could have a rare but serious risk of liver toxicity.” Business Insider, in 2023, ran a headline that said kava “can lead to liver damage.”
“We are trying to change this narrative, “says Louze. “If you want the benefits of kava, you should follow the traditional way of drinking it.” In Vanuatu, where he lives, as many as three in four men drink kava daily, and there have been no observed related health issues, Louze adds. This was confirmed by the WHO report: “There is little documented evidence of adverse health effects associated with traditional moderate levels of consumption of kava beverage, with only anecdotal reports of general symptoms of lethargy and headaches.”
Moves toward global consumption
Despite the negative publicity, kava appears to be taking steps towards becoming the globally consumed beverage that Dr. Lebot predicted. Farmers in the South Pacific are producing and exporting record amounts of kava after the significant hit to demand two decades ago. Official exports in the first half of 2023 exceeded prepandemic annual levels. From January to June 2023, almost $US28million worth of kava was exported from Vanuatu, according to official figures. Sales, in volume and value, are more than double those of the late 1990s’ first kava boom. “It seems like the kava revolution is here to stay,” says Louze.
Kava as an export
A recent survey estimates there are 50 million kava plants across Vanuatu, which was only recently considered a least developed country. But kava is changing all of that. “Kava is the largest export in terms of value,” says Deputy Prime Minister Seremaiah Nawalu. “The government has been continuously encouraging farmers to plant because it is so important to our country.” Two decades ago, he says that almost everyone living in the interior of the archipelago resided in traditional dwellings and were more exposed to the elements and the impact of regular cyclones. “Now you’ll see proper houses being built, people having access to utilities that wouldn’t be there without kava being commercialized,” he says. “I can’t emphasize its importance enough. I see the future of kava as very bright for our people. The consumption of kava internationally contributes to the development of our nation.”
Perhaps the mass consumption of kava has also played a role in the historic serenity and calm of the island chain. As Louze noted, the majority of men in the birthplace of kava consume it daily. It’s a similar picture across other South Pacific nations, with female use rising in many places. The proof is in the pudding: There have been no significant kava-related health issues in these countries. Kava and kavalactones, in and of themselves, are demonstrably safe. The issues that did arise, however small, were most likely a result of companies using untested means and adulterated kava raw materials to create herbal medications. Kava has been much maligned, and the internet remains rife with misinformation. But that is all changing. And the world is changing for the better thanks to the growth of this peaceful plant. ■ MATTHA LOUIS Busby is a UK-based freelance journalist and author with interest in health, drugs/psychedelics and society. He has written for publications including The Guardian, Observer, Vice, The Times, DoubleBlind, GQ and the Intercept. The Kava Coalition is an alliance of kava consumers, experts and industry leaders based in the US who are advancing kava education, advocacy and choice.