Vendor News K@ on the menu now

[The Kap'n]

It looks like Bula Kava House is now serving K@ at the bar.

I believe their loyal customers here have a right to know this fact, as we have gone a very long time praising them for not doing this exact thing.

I'm disappointed.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

Very sad.

To those who think there's nothing wrong about a kava bar promoting K@: http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/[email protected]/#post-127496
K@ should be legal and it may have very beneficial medicinal applications, but it should not be promoted as a casual, recreational substance to be sold together with or added (as reportedly done by some kava bar owners) to kava beverages.

 

[ThePiper]

Very sad.

To those who think there's nothing wrong about a kava bar promoting K@: http://kavaforums.com/forum/threads/[email protected]/#post-127496
K@ should be legal and it may have very beneficial medicinal applications, but it should not be promoted as a casual, recreational substance to be sold together with or added (as reportedly done by some kava bar owners) to kava beverages.

I agree 100% with this statement. I find it very unfortunate for both the K@ and kava community that such things are going on. Everyone who is interested in preserving either one of these herbs should agree that this is bad news. I recently got back to ordering from bkh after having issues with their kava back before it was being tested. Now I don't think I can buy from them anymore with this knowledge, at least until it is changed. I will try to hesitate to judge untill Judd comments on this issue.

 

[verticity]

That is unfortunate. I like their new Tongan Eua, but I'm going to need to rethink if I want to keep buying it.

 

[Jonathan]

It does look like it says "tea" on the sign, is that perhaps different than taking straight K@? I know K is dangerous, but I wonder if there's something else going on here. Perhaps Judd @Bula Kava House could weigh in on what guided this decision before we jump on him for it?

 

[The Kap'n]

It does look like it says "tea" on the sign, is that perhaps different than taking straight K@? I know K is dangerous, but I wonder if there's something else going on here. Perhaps Judd @Bula Kava House could weigh in on what guided this decision before we jump on him for it?

K@ tea is just a way of saying "We serve K@ already mixed with water".

Edit: it could be that they're actually brewing it, but it's "6 or 1/2 a dozen" either way. It's the process of extracting the alkaloids from the plant material itself. Same goal, different route.

 

[Jonathan]

K@ tea is just a way of saying "We serve K@ already mixed with water".

Edit: it could be that they're actually brewing it, but it's "6 or 1/2 a dozen" either way. It's the process of extracting the alkaloids from the plant material itself. Same goal, different route.

Gotcha, thanks, I wasn't sure if it was a different thing. I do think it's unfortunate. I don't have personal experience with it myself but I have seen how addictive K@ can be.

 

[HeadHodge]

Sure glad I only drink tudei kava.

 

[The Kap'n]

"bonded to opiate receptors but is not an opiate" - Just so everyone knows, this is common discourse when speaking about K@. I've personally heard this phrase before. Also, just so everyone knows...this is impossible. Any chemical that bonds to and activates opioid receptors is an opioid. In fact, it's the definition of an opioid.

o·pi·oid
ˈōpēˌoid/
"an opiumlike compound that binds to one or more of the three opioid receptors of the body."
-Dictionary.com

 

[TheKavaSociety]

I hope Judd takes his own advice

@Henry, yeah it always bothered me. I'm pro K@ but I figured it would one day be banned so I always hated these places calling themselves kava bars. K@ has a bit of a stigma and that had/has the potential to bleed over into kava. Call yourself an "exotic tea bar" or something, but if you're selling more K@ than kava don't call yourself a kava bar.

 

[TheKavaSociety]

Also:

4

To clear up your confusion, kava and K@ are linked in many peoples' minds because the bulk of establishments calling themselves kava bars actually serve more K@ drinks than kava. Despite having little in common, ignorant people often mention them almost as if they're one in the same. This makes the emergency banning of K@ a little scary.

 

[verticity]

"bonded to opiate receptors but is not an opiate" - Just so everyone knows, this is common discourse when speaking about K@. I've personally heard this phrase before. Also, just so everyone knows...this is impossible. Any chemical that bonds to and activates opioid receptors is an opioid. In fact, it's the definition of an opioid.

o·pi·oid
ˈōpēˌoid/
"an opiumlike compound that binds to one or more of the three opioid receptors of the body."
-Dictionary.com

It is technically true. Opiates are drugs derived from opium. Opioids are a broader category of drugs that includes opiates, and also other drugs that act on opioid receptors. K@ is an opioid but not an opiate. Similarly, oxycodone and fentanyl are opioids but not opiates. The fact that something is an opioid but not an opiate does not mean it is harmless.

 

[The Kap'n]

It is technically true. Opiates are drugs derived from opium. Opioids are a broader category of drugs that includes opiates, and also other drugs that act on opioid receptors. K@ is an opioid but not an opiate. Similarly, oxycodone and fentanyl are opioids but not opiates. The fact that something is an opioid but not an opiate does not mean it is harmless.

I...slightly doubt the gentleman at the counter knew about those more granular distinctions

Amen. A brain most certainly does not care whether it ends in oid or ate. It's the activation of those receptors that we love so dearly.

If anyone is looking for probably the most accurate story, sort that Reddit link that Deleted User posted by top. Read the top post.

 

[kasa_balavu]

There goes the American Kava Association.

 

[verticity]

I called Judd's kava bar last night and spoke to "Chris". He said they were offering K@ in-house only, as a "tea or infusion". ...

I actually would not have such a problem with it if he only sold it online, or in a store that is not a bar...

 

[saltminerrr]

I actually would not have such a problem with it if he only sold it online, or in a store that is not a bar...

I do not know way too much about K@, but from what I can gather the issue is essentially about how the K@ is presented as a casual substance used in a similar manner to Kava, correct? Would it make a difference if BHK made a greater distinction in the two products and only minimally offered it along with distinct intended uses, side-affects, etc?

 

[verticity]

I do not know way too much about K@, but from what I can gather the issue is essentially about how the K@ is presented as a casual substance used in a similar manner to Kava, correct? Would it make a difference if BHK made a greater distinction in the two products and only minimally offered it along with distinct intended uses, side-affects, etc?

A bar is a place where you go to have fun. It is a recreational place. The only thing that would make a difference is if they did not sell K@ in the bar. It doesn't belong there. It's presence in a bar setting makes the presentation implicitly casual.

 

[saltminerrr]

A bar is a place where you go to have fun. It is a recreational place. The only thing that would make a difference is if they did not sell K@ in the bar. It doesn't belong there. It's presence in a bar setting makes the presentation implicitly casual.

Gotcha, that makes sense. Well, I hope things get resolved. It sure does make it hard on newcomers to choose who to order from when established and liked vendors are doing things like this or possibly selling adulterated Kava (as I read was a possibility in Nakamal at Home's Stone).

 

[tonythefiddler]

I think ya'll are WAY overexaggerating the effects of K@. I take it for back pain in small doses and have never once had withdrawals while taking a break. I know some do, but i sure don't. Every person I know that takes K@ acts the exact same way as when they aren't and we don't get "high" the same way as we do even from kava. I get far more "buzzed" from kava than i ever have from K@ in years of taking it.