I posted a link earlier to a discussion about it's legal status and the reason why no bar calls itself a "K@ bar" and why online vendors put "not for human consumption" stickers. It seems that while it's legal to possess it or even sell it, it is not considered to be a safe food product and hence cannot be legally sold as food/dietary supplement. Think gasoline. Legal to buy, sell, own, but not legal to serve in milkshakes.
I hate to say it, but AKA doesn't hold a lot of weight in my mind, they have too many conflicts of interest in the people involved.
I am referring to the other AKA...
That might be true. I don't know. But the fact is, it is sold openly in many places, and the police generally have been leaving those places alone since the recent reversal by the DEA on scheduling krat at the Federal level. Maybe it's kind of like the situation with marijuana in the states here where it is legal. MJ is still illegal at the Federal level, but since voters in some states have legalized it, the Feds choose not to enforce the letter of the national law. And it is true that that kind of situation is precarious, because law enforcement could always decide to change their mind about their priorities.
Maybe. Or maybe this is why K@ is actually no longer so openly sold. Apparently most bars sell it under the counter and clearly no place calls itself a "K@ cafe"
I agree that K@ doesn't need to be sold in a kava bar or any other drinking establishment but comparing it to gasoline is ridiculous. The main reason it is not approved as a dietary supplement like kava is that it was not sold in the US before the early 90's when all of the current supplements were grandfathered in. Not because there is proof that it is dangerous. The main reason the DEA ban was stopped was because of lack of proof that K@ itself is inherently dangerous.
I didnt mean to suggest that krat is as unhealthy as gasoline, but just wanted to use gasoline as an example of a LEGAL product that can still be ILLEGAL to serve in a cafe. I think this is what AKA means when they state K@ is "legal" in various states
Yes, it is perfectly legal to buy, sell, consume, etc in most states. A handful have banned it, many others (including my own) have considered banning it but decided not to when more research was done by the politicians involved. Vendors selling it with the "not for human consumption" label are doing so to stay under the FDAs radar, making no claims on benefits or usage. I'm not sure how much risk there is in a kava bar brewing it and selling it as a drink, maybe Judd can tell us about that.
It was not exactly difficult to find...
But I'm not sure who this "Ivan" person you are talking about is. Have you been in contact with the Russians?
Not really relevant here but it is interesting to note that Oregon is one of two American states where self-service petrol stations are illegal.
Isn't New Jersey the other one?
That's right.
K@ is legal to consume as long as you are not in a state that has made it illegal, the FDA just doesn't approve of it being sold or imported for that purpose. I'm thinking it would be up to the local license issuing authority as to whether they would revoke licenses over it? I want to see K@ stay legal so I would rather not see it in a bar type environment of any kind.
Yeah, you're right. Possession and selling.
I know the FDA's position, my question was more on whether or not they could shut down a restaurant/bar the same way they can a supplement company. Either way, the practice you describe creates a very bad image to people who don't understand either herb and confuse the two because their names start with the same letter...
Still..