"EU to carry out kava study"

[TheKavaSociety]

EU to carry out kava study: http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/270492/eu-to-carry-out-kava-study

Great news! (hopefully)

"The ambassador, Roy Mickey Joy, says the European Union has agreed to consider a submission to the Technical Barriers to Trade programme and will appoint a legal firm to carry out a kava study.
This, he says, will take seven months and take into account legal, scientific and trade aspects of kava.
He says a two-day conference is planned in Brussels involving Pacific kava producers, with its outcome to be shared with the firm conducting the kava investigation.
This is expected to lead to a ministerial conference on kava, to be able to agree on a roadmap that would address the kava ban in Germany.
It would also look at market and quality issues, so that the product can be exported globally."

Ps. kava is no longer "banned" in Germany

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

If it's a properly funded, thorough and serious, unbiased study...I'm really looking forward to the results.

 

[verticity]

It seems a little odd that a "legal firm" will carry out the study. IMO the scientists should be in charge.. but politics I guess.

 

[Steve Mariotti]

I think it's odd that a legal firm is in charge of doing a study. I would assume they would be basing most of their data on published studies, which would be a good thing. They could, of course, call upon expert witnesses / experts which I'm sure they maintain a list of. At that point it could become more politicized.

This is expected to lead to a ministerial conference on kava, to be able to agree on a roadmap that would address the kava ban in Germany.

This is very promising. Hopefully a conference with the right attendants in attendance would give voice to enough knowledgeable people to lay out a realistic roadmap. Though honestly the "roadmap" needs to just be lifting the ban and allowing importation. Also hopefully some quality testing and extraction best practices will emerge, which would guarantee safety.

I have high hopes!

 

[yiki]

Ps. kava is no longer "banned" in Germany

It is still banned. Two courts have ruled in kavas favour, but the Bfarm can still make one last appeal. Until then, it remains banned. Also one should keep in mind that the last ruling stated that kava is NOT a novelty food and should be treated as a prescription medication with strict monitoring. In a way, that is even worse, because ordering "large" (can be actually small) quantities of prescription medication (in the future kava?) can be construed (and often will be!) as intent to sell which leads to police raids and criminal persecution.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

It is still banned. Two courts have ruled in kavas favour, but the Bfarm can still make one last appeal. Until then, it remains banned. Also one should keep in mind that the last ruling stated that kava is NOT a novelty food and should be treated as a prescription medication with strict monitoring. In a way, that is even worse, because ordering "large" (can be actually small) quantities of prescription medication (in the future kava?) can be construed (and often will be!) as intent to sell which leads to police raids and criminal persecution.

Didn't the Bfarm indicate that they would not appeal?
In any case, you are right, it would indeed be a defeat if Germany chose to treat all kava as prescription medicine. I guess it's still better than some other places in Europe where kava is treated as a hardcore drug..

 

[Kavo]

Damn hey?
I don't like the fact that Science or Politics have the right to dictate what we do with our lives wherever we are!
I've seen this play out with e-cigs and also a heap of plants being blanket banned here where I am.
There are actually experts (and Cultural Users) as we know, who know much more about Kava than either of the aforementioned bodies and God help us if Big Pharm ever gets there greasy hands on it.
@Henry your last line is exactly what they want us to think...that we have one of 2 choices.
Passionflower is a mild calming sedative as is Valerian,but they are plants first and foremost and also should not be considered a drug that needs to be boxed,sealed and approved.

 

[verticity]

God help us if Big Pharm ever gets there greasy hands on it.

It's a little late for that, unfortunately. I guess I am biased toward science, but you are absolutely right that Cultural Users should be in the loop.

Though honestly the "roadmap" needs to just be lifting the ban and allowing importation.

For better or worse, the EU is kind of notorious for regulating everything in great detail. There will probably be EU standards for kavalactone content, grind particle size, fire-resistance, probably even exact specifications for the size and shape of coconut shells that must be used to drink it.

 

[Cityfan]

Where can people in the EU buy their kava from now globalkavaexports.com are no longer shipping? Is everyone just ordering from the states ect and just taking their chances? Almost makes me want to vote UKIP damm EU

 

[yiki]

Didn't the Bfarm indicate that they would not appeal?

Man, i'm so slow, i apologize. Just saw your thread! Of course you are right.

For better or worse, the EU is kind of notorious for regulating everything in great detail.

Kave will be a prescription medicine in europe in the form of a pill, sold at a high price by pharmaceutical companies. Regular Kava Poweder won't be allowed as a novelty food and remain banned throughout Europe. That is my bet. Kava Exporters will be appeased because they can kinda continue selling to europe even if in a much lower capacity. Collateral damage is a small "freak community" of kava drinkers. But in reality, nobody cares about them. They also don't have any power to influence upcoming regulations.

 

[kavadude]

Where can people in the EU buy their kava from now globalkavaexports.com are no longer shipping? Is everyone just ordering from the states ect and just taking their chances? Almost makes me want to vote UKIP damm EU

Cityfan, I hope one of our EU posters will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe people outside of the UK, Germany (and possibly Ireland) should be OK importing from US vendors at the moment.

 

[yiki]

but I believe people outside of the UK, Germany (and possibly Ireland) should be OK importing from US vendors at the moment.

For germans: No, why would it be ok? You are not allowed to import prescription medication at all if it comes from outside the EU. You can order them from within the EU if the medication is legal within the EU and you got a script.

 

[kavadude]

I said outside of Germany though. We had a guy from France recently who seemed to get it OK.

 

[yiki]

I'm sorry, i'm so angry i can't read properly. Yeah, of course if you're outside of germany, now is probably the best time to stock up before a central regulation hits. But then i don't know about local EU law and possible penalties so i would look them up before buying 10KGs...

 

[Kavo]

It's a little late for that, unfortunately. I guess I am biased toward science, but you are absolutely right that Cultural Users should be in the loop.


For better or worse, the EU is kind of notorious for regulating everything in great detail. There will probably be EU standards for kavalactone content, grind particle size, fire-resistance, probably even exact specifications for the size and shape of coconut shells that must be used to drink it.

It's never too late man,never.

The Codex that you are basically stating in the second paraphrase is not actually Law. It's a set of so called "Global Guidelines" much like the DSM.

Yes I'm pissed too @yiki you think our language is strange? lol......our politics and compartmentalisation of where we draw our values and Law come from, are wherever it suits the suits. We have lost our identity,our pride...and that makes me the saddest.

 

[Kavo]

I said outside of Germany though. We had a guy from France recently who seemed to get it OK.

We all fear the penalty man because we're not actually doing anything wrong. Plenty of other hell worse shit goes down where I am,yet nothing ever really gets done about it.
I'd guess this applies to all of us yes?

Yep,I'm in the mood to take on the World and crush the pricks..it happens

 

[TheKavaSociety]

@yiki I think you are too pessimistic. The EU study doesn't have to lead to the same conclusions as the German court decisions. It is conducted under a very different programme with an explicit aim of investigating how to mitigate or eliminate barriers to trade in various basic agricultural products. I know many people think the EU is a beaurocratic monster run by control-freaks and lobbies, but I believe it often proves to be a much more sober body than various national agencies and beaurocracies. The eurocrats originate from various countries with very diverse interests and cultures and hence it's more difficult to influence them through simple network mechanisms and political pressures. Also, the aim of the study is mainly to see if the trade can be made easier and if the EU collectively can decide to apply simplfied rules and clear (but still - less strict!) regulations regarding kava. That's why the whole thing is supported by Vanuatu's ambassador, in my opinion. The EU is not investigating whether or not to ban kava, it is looking at whether it could make importing it easier.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

Almost makes me want to vote UKIP damm EU

Well, the UK is one of the few EU countries that bans kava imports. The EU as a whole does not make kava banned. If anything, thanks to the UK's membership in the EU, people could order kava from other EU member states without any problems with the customs. If the UK ever leaves the EU, you might wake up in a fortress guarded by customs officials checking all "suspicious" packages posted from the EU.

 

[nhoeg]

Man, i'm so slow, i apologize. Just saw your thread! Of course you are right.

Kave will be a prescription medicine in europe in the form of a pill, sold at a high price by pharmaceutical companies. Regular Kava Poweder won't be allowed as a novelty food and remain banned throughout Europe. That is my bet. Kava Exporters will be appeased because they can kinda continue selling to europe even if in a much lower capacity. Collateral damage is a small "freak community" of kava drinkers. But in reality, nobody cares about them. They also don't have any power to influence upcoming regulations.

What makes you predict this? I don't think EU as a whole ever will put a ban on kava.