I very much get the irony of people like me saying "Oh noes! You shouldn't sell addictive substances in bars!" when 99.9999% of bars revolve around selling alcohol. And coffee, which is addictive, is sold all over the place. The thing is, I really don't believe K@ is as harmless as coffee. Coffee (and caffeine) has been extensively researched, and is generally agreed to be safe, although it is addictive and does cause withdrawal. I have personally experienced headaches from caffeine withdrawal. It was annoying, but nowhere near the level of unpleasantness that I have heard people withdrawing from K@ describe. K@ is not nearly as well understood, but there is a strong pharmolocogical basis, and lots of anecdotal evidence, to suppose the withdrawal syndrome is pretty bad for some people. I have seen some stories where people seem to have no problems at first, but the negative consequences sneak up. Now, certainly alcohol is worse. But we are talking about kava bars here, not alcohol bars. A large part of the appeal of kava is that it is a safe, non-addictive alternative to alcohol. Many folks turn to kava precisely because they have had trouble with addictions to other things. I would go so far as to say that in my opinion kava is better than alcohol, and that nakamals are better places than alcohol bars, in principle. I think introducing something like K@ to a kava bar would make it, frankly, a worse place for people who go there with the intention of just drinking some nice relaxing, non-addictive kava. Say you are a recovering opiate addict who has been clean for some time. You go to a kava bar, and you see a sign advertising K@. Might you not be tempted? The kava bar won't sell you enough to really do much. But you might drink a cup of weak K@ tea, be reminded of what you liked about opiates, and, as they say, be off to the races again. That is not a problem I have ever had, but if I had, I might be a somewhat reluctant to go to a place where there would be any temptation.
