How to sleepwalk into a kava ban.......

[JonT]

New law could see kava banned in New Zealand
Posted at 16:39 on 10 April, 2013 UTCMPs in New Zealand are concerned that a proposed law change which aims to stamp out harmful synthetic drugs, could encompass the traditional kava drink.All eight political parties backed the Psychoactive Substances Bill, though opposition MPs want more clarification of the scope of the Bill at the select committee stage.The Labour Party’s associate health spokesperson, Iain Lees-Galloway, says it’s unclear yet whether the law would ban or limit the sale of kava, which contains psychoactive substances.He says it’s important they get the threshold right at the select committee.

“I don’t think anybody wants to see kava taken off the shelf I don’t think that it is considered to be a substance which is causing harm in our communities and we respect people’s traditional rights to use kava in ceremonies and however else they want to use it.”

Iain Lees-Galloway is encouraging Polynesian communities to make submissions on the Bill.News Content © Radio New Zealand International
PO Box 123, Wellington, New Zealand
http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=75195
What a strange situation. 
Given the large Polynesian population in New Zealand (.e.g Auckland is the worlds largest Polynesian city ethnically), we will at least have a lot of opposition to this. It won't happen quietly. And it sounds like there is no one explicitly out to ban kava anyway, it just might be accidentally included in the ban. It's also encouraging to see that the opposition health spokesman is out there saying "no one want to ban this".
It will also be hard to regulate the extent of private sales anyway. I just bought 1kg of Tonga kava for US$20 on an auction site, and you can walk into some convenience stores here and buy kava over the counter. 
But does kava really contain "psychoactive" substances?!

 

[Vekta]

Politicians say things they don't really mean all the time. Even worse that say things that are totally opposite to what they really plan to do. I hope the people of NZ will keep constant pressure on them and certainly not let anything pass quietly, kava or otherwise.

 

[kavadude]

Yes, kava really contains psychoactive substances! Reading some more on it, this law sounds incredibly vague. I could take this and ban chocolate with it. Seems like another poorly thought out law.

 

[JonT]

I am glad that the MP's are somewhat onto it though. There aren't many (or more likely, any) western countries whose politicians would read this law and ask "but what about the kava?".


Polynesians typically are not very politically active in NZ; I hope someone heeds the call to make submissions. It will be much stronger coming from them rather than white people who just really like kava!

 

[Prince Philip]

I have read, but have not yet fully verified, that the prohibition of marijuana in the United States was because Anglo-Saxons hated Mexicans. Fortunately, the current zeitgeist in most of the world is one where saying, "I don't like that ethnic group having fun" is considered unacceptable.

Fortunately, the Americans now have a kava bowl on their money.  Not all of it, but some of it.  Now, outlawing kava in the U.S. is as unthinkable as Canadians outlawing moose or beaver.

 

[The Kap'n]

Holy carp. I had no idea that coin existed. It will look nice in my collection. Purchased!

 

[kl.Lente]

The illegalization of Marijuana in this country is a complicated topic, basically since both sides lie as much as possible for their own ends.


Now I know that race relations remain a huge elephant in the room in this country, and at the time the law was made, the idea of the term race relations outside of a war situation would have been preposterous.


But now, the history is as befuddled as a stoner trying to play chess.

 

[kl.Kava Cola]

Kava is also being added to the substances to be banned in Portugal but we hope it will only be banned as a medicinal product which will still allow us to sell it as a supplement. It was banned because of all the synthetic Cannabinoids and other legal highs being sold in Portugal and particularly because of some nasty research chemicals being sold willy nilly in Madeira...

 

[krunkedout]

Kava is also being added to the substances to be banned in Portugal but we hope it will only be banned as a medicinal product which will still allow us to sell it as a supplement. It was banned because of all the synthetic Cannabinoids and other legal highs being sold in Portugal and particularly because of some nasty research chemicals being sold willy nilly in Madeira...

exactly the reason we try to keep kava in a different light then just being a "legal high"

 

[kl.Kava Cola]

Kava Cola wrote:Kava is also being added to the substances to be banned in Portugal but we hope it will only be banned as a medicinal product which will still allow us to sell it as a supplement. It was banned because of all the synthetic Cannabinoids and other legal highs being sold in Portugal and particularly because of some nasty research chemicals being sold willy nilly in Madeira...

exactly the reason we try to keep kava in a different light then just being a "legal high"

Exactly mate...keep it out of headshops...its not the same kind of thing, Portugal just did a huge blanket ban on everything and unfortunately Kava was caught up in it, probably a few headshops in Portugal had it in stock...

 

[The Kap'n]

Yep. Looks quite nice

 

[Prince Philip]

We must fight this.


Kava isn't a "legal high."


Kava is culture.

 

[JonT]

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1304/S00206/dunne-kava-unaffected-by-psychoactive-substances-bill.htm



Dunne: Kava unaffected by Psychoactive Substances Bill


Thursday, 11 April 2013, 1:31 pm

Press Release: New Zealand Government

Hon Peter Dunne

Associate Minister of Health


11 April 2013


Dunne: Kava unaffected by Psychoactive Substances Bill


The purchase and use of kava will be completely unaffected by the Psychoactive Substances Bill currently going through Parliament, confirmed Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne.


The Bill makes a number of exclusions for products already regulated by other pieces of legislation such as alcohol, medicines and tobacco. There is also an exclusion for food.


When used traditionally kava is regulated as a food under the Food Standards Code and the NZ Food (Supplemented Food) Standard 2010 when it is a drink.


Kava can also be used as a herbal remedy. When used in this way kava is currently regulated by the Dietary Supplements Regulations. There is a specific exclusion in the Psychoactive Substances Bill for dietary supplements and herbal remedies.


Soon these herbal remedies will be regulated by the Natural Health and Supplementary Products Bill, which is due to be passed and enacted later this year. That Bill will contain a consequential amendment to the Psychoactive Substances Bill to maintain the exclusion of natural health and supplementary products from the new psychoactive substances regime.


“Despite the ill-informed scaremongering by Labour MPs kava is already suitably regulated through other legislation and my Bill will have absolutely no effect on that.”


“People that use kava in either its traditional form or as a herbal remedy need not fear, it will be business as usual,” said Mr Dunne.


ENDS

 

[The Kap'n]

Awesome news! Thank you for sharing it.