Is Kava a Legal High? | New Blog Post at The Kava Society

[TheKavaSociety]

A couple of days ago I published a little blog post referring to the longer (and excellent) piece on this topic written by @Deleted User01 . You can find our post (and links to the Kava Library's article) here: http://kavasociety.nz/blog/4587940980/Kava-vs-Legal-Highs/9371589

 

[Deleted User01]

Nice Article Henry. I think it's about time that we told the world that Kava is a Safe Legal Botanical Drug that can indeed give you a Legal High. But it's not really a high, it is more relaxing and sedating. Those that are seeking a "legal high", should be welcome with open arms in this forum. Many are using illegal drugs and/or are addicted to both illegal and legal drugs. Kava can help ween them off those powerful and destructive drugs. Kava can give them the clarity of mind that is necessary to pursue a chosen career, interact socially, and start a family. So I say to all that will listen, we welcome all "stoners" who are looking to replace their destructive drugs with one that is milder and yet beneficial. And, Kava comes with a set of rules for safe drinking and we are all here to mentor anyone who is seeking a better solution to the ailments of both the mind and body.

 

[kavadude]

I think you started off on the right foot, and then it became somewhat disingenuous. We shouldn't call it a "legal high" entirely because of the crowd it attracts and the associations it creates in people's minds. In the end, it is still a substance that we consume for its effects on our mind and body.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

I think you started off on the right foot, and then it became somewhat disingenuous. We shouldn't call it a "legal high" entirely because of the crowd it attracts and the associations it creates in people's minds. In the end, it is still a substance that we consume for its effects on our mind and body.

I think the term now means something more unpredictable, strong and crazy than simply a legal substance affecting minds and bodies. Otherwise everything we eat or drink is a legal high: tea, sugar, coffee, fat, vitamins, etc...

 

[kavadude]

These are all on a spectrum, both in terms of benefits of their use and potential for abuse. You have macronutrients and micronutrients like sugar, fat and vitamins which we all require and most of us take every day without significantly altering our physical or mental state. It seems fine to me to not classify these as drugs of any kind, although it is possible to reach a point where, for example, sugar intake becomes problematic and even pathological: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance

Then you have caffeine and alcohol, and that is where things get interesting. They are not considered drugs or legal highs by societal consensus, even though people become physically addicted to them. I don't know what things are like in New Zealand, but more people are killed by drunk driving than marijuana abuse in the US, and yet the latter regularly results in much more severe legal punishments. This is why I don't like the fact that some things are "drugs" or "legal highs" but caffeine and alcohol get a free pass.

Kava is superior to many of these substances, natural and synthetic, because of the profile of its effects and the lack of potential for physical addiction. I would rather advertise that than claim it does not alter consciousness, which is how I interpret the second paragraph. I don't consider kava a supplement like the fish oil pills I take, I drink it because I enjoy how it makes me feel for a short period of time in addition to its long term benefits. In the end, we agree that we shouldn't call it a "legal high," but I don't like saying that it "cannot be likened" to any of these substances.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

What I meant in the second paragraph was that kava does not affect our ability to think clearly and to be in control of our minds and bodies. This fact alone makes it different to what people tend to think about "legal highs". You are of course right when you talk about alcohol, etc. Some things are not commonly seen as "drugs" even though they are in fact not very different to hard drugs. Yes, the public perception of psychoactive substances is ignorant. However, it is what it is and if we do not want the narcophobia to affect the legal status of kava, we must insist that kava is not what people normally classify as "legal highs", IMO. It will affect your mind and body, but it will not make you high, , mentally impaired, addicted or experiencing weird and unpredictable things.

 

[kavadude]

I'm not sure what people drinking kava for the 1-2 hour buzz it gives you is doing other than making you "high". I consider its effects markedly more noticable than the pot of tea I drink every morning. We shouldn't call it a "legal high" or refer to using kava as getting "high" but that's a PR issue. I don't like putting it on a pedestal. It leads to situations like that fellow who posted on here thinking he was addicted to kava where many people mocked him (some of those posts were outright abusive and are now deleted). This is just something I've been chewing on for awhile, so I'm not accusing you of this sort of attitude, but the second paragraph prompted it.

On a side note, I hope you will use better sources than this: http://unritalinsolution.com/kava_adhd in the future. I can't find the study it's referring to, and it contains several questionable claims.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

Look, I don't know about America, but it seems to me that in NZ many people think that "legal highs" are even worse than illegal highs. There is a massive moral panic here and many parents protest and demand that the government destroys all legal highs. I just don't want kava to be associated with this term.
Look at this picture taken in a shop selling legal highs in Auckland:

This picture appeared in our main newspaper and it illustrated their legal high scare story.. can you see anything familiar?

 

[TheKavaSociety]

You are right about that link. This was a super quick post. I ll find a better reference and will fix the post in a few hours

 

[TheKavaSociety]

@kavadude - Following your comments and suggestions, I've edited the post. Let me me know if you think it is now more accurate and balanced or if you feel I should still work on making it sufficiently objective.

 

[kavadude]

I like it Henry. I appreciate you taking my suggestions into consideration.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

I like it Henry. I appreciate you taking my suggestions into consideration.

Thanks, mate. Those were good suggestions. I really appreciate that you read my post and gave me some constructive feedback. I know I can sometimes lose my objectivity when I write or talk about kava, so it's always good to have someone who can offer a more balanced perspective.

 

[SelfBiasResistor]

Several people have made good points in this thread. I think promoting kava as a legal high is a bad idea but pointing out the fact that it does give somewhat of a high and is legal could potentially bring many more people to use it and drop their more destructive substances. I am in the process of doing this myself and had I not known about the potential (and reality) of kava, this goal would seem to be impossible and I might have given up. I've tried a lot of natural substances and have not found anything with the safety profile of kava that has the strength to replace so many other substances. People googling for that "legal high" could be benefited greatly by stumbling upon this root!

As far as legal status, we need to focus more on the freedom aspect and give individuals the choice on what they want to do, as the failed war on drugs proves, they will make that choice anyway.

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

I can't believe half of things there. Lol muira puama ?? Haha that stuff isn't a high at all . Same with Guarana. And half of that stuff haha

 

[Deleted User01]

On the Legal High thing ... I'm all for welcoming people who search for that. But the minute they come in here, we need to set them straight about what Kava is and what it ain't. And we need to let them know ASAP that we are sensitive about Kava being lumped in with other legal but addictive botanical drugs and the dangerous crap being sold in head shops. I feel certain that if these guys are really hard core stoners, then they will leave in a hurry. If they are looking for a new start and are ready to adjust their expectations, then I feel they will say, "Man, you guys are exactly who I'm looking for and Kava is exactly what I'm looking for."
P.S. When I called them "hard core stoners", I kinda felt like it was the pot calling the kettle black but that is all in the past. I'm the guy who did adjust his expectations and is really thrilled to have a light weight botanical drug that can tweak my disposition, help me sleep, and all this with no discernible side effects. Heck, I know my wife likes me way better when I do Kava then when I do alcohol (but she doesn't say so, god bless her lil ole soul).

 

[The Kap'n]

On the Legal High thing ... I'm all for welcoming people who search for that. But the minute they come in here, we need to set them straight about what Kava is and what it ain't.

Every new user receives a welcome message that includes this

Please note: We urge the responsible representation of kava as a whole. If you're looking for a "legal high", you're in the wrong place.

I'm totally with you @Deleted User01

 

[Deleted User01]

I didn't know you had that. Good deal! I wonder if we need to expand that last sentence about "legal high". Something along the lines of, "if you are looking for a legal high like the ones sold in head shops, then shoo, shoo, shoo .... If you are looking for a mild botanical that can help with anxiety and sleep problems, den you in the right place bro.
Anything that lifts up your spirits can be considered a "legal high". So I hate to turn off a prospective member with a blanket statement. Maybe you admins can work that over a little bit so that people understand what we have and what we don't have. I think the word "mild" says it all and would discourage guys looking for stoner type drugs. Honestly, if I went into a beer forum and they said "we only do lite beer here", then I would be out in a NY minute. Or a coffee forum that said, "we only talk about decaffeinated and instant coffee", you would hear the door slam only after I was 2 miles down the road.

 

[taylor]

Every new user receives a welcome message that includes this


I'm totally with you @Deleted User01

And thank yall for doing that. This is what ive been looking for since i got clean from substance abuse. I like how i can go days without it and it doesnt run around my head all the time. I had tried kava, got more rooted then i wanted on accident when i was trying to get over tolerance and had decided to quit kava due to worry of it being a bad road to go down. Then after being tempted to start drinking i decided to look back into kava and this forum has helped out so much. Two weeks back and i dont feel like its a burden, except maybe on my wallet a tad haha

Sent from my SM-G925P using Tapatalk

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

If it weren't for kava I dont know what I wouldve done after quitting kratark. I was just in a bad place around the time before I started it all during and after I quit . It wasn't the kratark. But my mindset mixed with it, and kava really helped me not start drinking or something else to cope with my fluctuating states .

 

[The Kap'n]

All these posts make me wish there were more studies done regarding the anti-addictive properties of kava.