As we have covered in previous facts of the day, kava usage in Australia is controlled if not prohibited all together in specific locations. The reasoning behind this has been stated as concern for the health of the indigenous people of the Northern Territory. The health effects cited for the reduction or removal of kava availability are as follows:
- Raised GGT/ALP function in metabolic liver tests.
- Kava dermopathy.
- Low Body Mass Index.
- Cholesterol abnormalities such as high HDL. (Clough et al.)
- Laziness (Not medical, more political).
With those reasons in mind, this research reaches back before the ban and captures the actual Yolngu people’s attitude towards kava. Cawte in 1986 discussed with the local people about kava consumption. He recorded 7 of their reactions and in five accounts you can find remarks about how kava was taking over the consumption of alcohol. It seems alcohol had been a problem in the Northern Territory long before kava came onto the scene. It was often remarked on how kava, unlike alcohol, does not seem to revive old grievances and is not prone to elicit aggression.
“People drinking kava talk, sing and tell stories all night, but they are good stories, and they talk about jobs and make plans for the future. That is quite different from drinking liquor, which makes people remember old grudges and clan fighting.“
While the overall opinion of local Yolngu observers were polarized between their own advantages and disadvantages of having kava in the community, most of them commented that alcohol, gambling and inhalant abuse had decreased in areas where kava was introduced (Cawte).
You may draw your own conclusions about the prohibition of kava in the Northern Territory, however it is clear that the harm cross-section of kava pales in comparison to that of alcohol, especially when comparing instances of chronic liver disease. It was found in the late 80s to early 90s that the death rates for those in the Northern Territory from alcohol related issues was 300% higher in general than the rest of the continent with 10x higher rates seen in the Aboriginal people (Skov et al.).
Based on recent evidence, the evidence of the day, and individual reports, kava was and always will be safer for individuals and better for the community than alcohol.
Cawte, John. “Parameters of Kava Used as a Challenge to Alcohol.” The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 20, no. 1, SAGE Publications Ltd, Mar. 1986, pp. 70–76,
doi:10.3109/00048678609158867.
Clough, A. R., et al. “Health Effects of Kava Use in an Eastern Arnhem Land Aboriginal Community.” Internal Medicine Journal, vol. 33, no. 8, Aug. 2003, pp. 336–340,
doi:10.1046/j.1444-0903.2003.00405.x.
Skov, Steven J., et al. “How Much Is Too Much? Alcohol Consumption and Related Harm in the Northern Territory.” The Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 193, no. 5, Wiley Online Library, Sept. 2010, pp. 269–272,
doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2010.tb03905.x.
