In every human society on earth, there are a few culturally acceptable intoxicating substances, and everything else is flat-out taboo.
I believe the consensus you'll find here is that we've imported the culture of the South Pacific, but understand quite well that we run the risk of a culture-clash if our South Pacific Krunk becomes too well-known.
This puts us and you at loggerheads. We want kava to keep a low profile and stay under the radar of the FDA and DEA. Meanwhile, your livelihood depends on growing your customer base to the point where we rechristen the ATF as the ATKFPtDp (Alcohol, Tobacco, Kava, Firearms, Paint thinner and Deviant Pornography).
I think the best way to keep kava legal is to import the South Pacific cultural trappings of kava. Huna, Frummism/Philipism, etc. Just as the Native American Church has exemptions for peyote, we might need a strong Prince Philip following to justify the legality of kava. Then again, I don't believe there is any exception to the federal laws against marijuana for Rastafarians. (I know encouraging people to worship Prince Philip as a demigod seems self-serving).
One thing that hasn't caught on yet is kava as a study aid. I know I do it, and so do a few other posters here. The norepinephrine reuptake inhibition effect increases focus, concentration, intensity of mind. The muscle relaxation effect makes it a relaxed attention which is so much better for learning than the current study drugs of abuse - caffeine, Ritalin, etc.
I hope that Obama, as the first Hawaiian president, does his part to promote kava and especially Hawaiian kava.
I think that anyone with shellshock NEEDS kava. My personal viewpoint, from the inside, on PTSD, is that the only thing that is even remotely tolerable is a drug of abuse. I don't think I need to even mention the problems with using alcohol as the drug of abuse. Kava is wonderful because it does take the edge off of the PTSD, but it is a recreational drug, and I would much rather be an addict than a victim. If I needed a doctor's prescription, then every single time I swallowed whatever poison s/he prescribed me, I'd be reminded of a the trauma in the first place.
So, in short, the best way to legitimize kava is to associate it very heavily with native cultures, to the point where banning it would smack of racism, cultural insensitivity, and outright imperialism. "We need to ban kava!" "Why do you hate brown people? Should we also ban 'Lilo and Stitch' while we're at it, paleface?" Yeah, it's a dirty trick, but a damned good one in my royal opinion.