Editing Kava (section)

==Regulation==

===Australia===
In Australia, the supply of kava is regulated through the National Code of Kava Management.<ref name=ANZFSC>{{cite web |url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2009C01242|title=Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code - Standard 2.6.3 - Kava|date=5 October 2006 |publisher=Federal Register of Legislation|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref> Travellers to Australia are allowed to bring up to 4&nbsp;kg of kava in their baggage, provided they are at least 18 years old and the kava is in root or dried form. Commercial import of larger quantities is allowed, under licence for medical or scientific purposes. These restrictions were introduced in 2007 after concern about abuse of kava in indigenous communities. Initially, the import limit was 2&nbsp;kg per person; it was raised to 4&nbsp;kg in December 2019, and a pilot program allowing for commercial importation was implemented on 1 December 2021.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/17/c_138637423.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217110924/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-12/17/c_138637423.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 December 2019 |title=Travelers from Fiji to Australia can now take more kava for social functions |date=17 December 2019 |access-date=21 January 2020 |publisher=[[Xinhua News Agency|Xinhua]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.odc.gov.au/import-requirements-kava|title=Import requirements: Kava|date=1 December 2021|website=The Office of Drug Control, Department of Health, Government of Australia|access-date=7 February 2022}}.</ref>

The Australian [[Therapeutic Goods Administration]] has recommended no more than 250&nbsp;mg of kavalactones be taken in a 24‑hour period.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tga.gov.au/cm/kavafs0504.htm | access-date=10 July 2006 | title=Kava fact sheet | publisher=Therapeutic Goods Administration, Government of Australia | date=April 2005 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060720200953/http://www.tga.gov.au/cm/kavafs0504.htm | archive-date=20 July 2006}} ([http://www.tga.gov.au/cm/kavafs0504.pdf Download PDF 44KB] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060820014802/http://www.tga.gov.au/cm/kavafs0504.pdf |date=20 August 2006 }}).</ref>

Kava possession is limited to 2&nbsp;kg per adult in the [[Northern Territory]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nt.gov.au/law/crime/kava|title=Kava|publisher=Northern Territory Government|date=12 December 2016|access-date=14 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Sydney|url=http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/02/18/islanders-shocked-australia-moves-ban-kava|title=Islanders shocked as Australia moves to ban kava|date=10 July 2015|author=Armbruster, Stefan|access-date=14 February 2017}}</ref> While it was previously banned in [[Western Australia]] in the 2000s, the Western Australian Health Department announced the lifting of the ban in February 2017, bringing Western Australia "into line with other States" where it has always remained legal, albeit closely regulated.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://thewest.com.au/news/health/kava-legal-in-relaxation-of-was-drug-laws-ng-b88384684z|title=Kava legal in WA, marketed at troubled sleepers|date=2017-02-13|work=The West Australian|access-date=2017-02-13|language=en-AU}}</ref>

===Europe===
Following discussions on the safety of certain pharmaceutical products derived from kava and sold in Germany, the EU imposed a temporary ban on imports of kava-based pharmaceutical products in 2002. The sale of kava plant became regulated in [[Switzerland]], [[France]], and in prepared form in the [[Netherlands]].<ref>{{cite web | author=C.I.J.M. Ross-van Dorp | title=Besluit van 23 april 2003, houdende wijziging van het Warenwetbesluit Kruidenpreparaten (verbod op Kava kava in kruidenpreparaten) | publisher=Staatsblad van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden | year=2003 | website=Sdu Uitgevers | url=http://www.ipfsaph.org/cds_upload/kopool_data/FAOLEX_0/unknown_net60412.pdf | access-date=7 February 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227114537/http://www.ipfsaph.org/cds_upload/kopool_data/FAOLEX_0/unknown_net60412.pdf | archive-date=27 February 2008 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Some Pacific island states which had been benefiting from the export of kava to the pharmaceutical companies have attempted to overturn the EU ban on kava-based pharmaceutical products by invoking international trade agreements at the [[WTO]]: [[Fiji]], [[Samoa]], [[Tonga]], and Vanuatu argued that the ban was imposed with insufficient evidence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldtradereview.com/news.asp?pType=N&iType=A&iID=113&siD=23&nID=22522|title=Fiji takes kava ban fight to WTO|date=August 2005|publisher=The World Trade Review|access-date=26 October 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190558/http://www.worldtradereview.com/news.asp?pType=N&iType=A&iID=113&siD=23&nID=22522|archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref> The pressure prompted [[Germany]] to reconsider the evidence base for banning kava-based pharmaceutical products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wto.org/english/res_e/booksp_e/casestudies_e/case33_e.htm|title=The Pacific Island Nations: Towards Shared Representation|last=Bowman|first=Chakriya |publisher=[[WTO]]|access-date=26 October 2013}}</ref> On 10 June 2014, the German Administrative Court overturned the 2002 ban, making selling kava as a medicine legal (personal possession of kava has never been illegal), albeit strictly regulated. In Germany, kava-based pharmaceutical preparations are currently prescription drugs. Furthermore, patient and professional information brochures have been redesigned to warn about potential side effects.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pharmazeutische-zeitung.de/ausgabe-162015/comeback-unter-strengen-auflagen/ |title=Comeback unter strengen Auflagen |publisher=Pharmazeutische Zeitung |date=16 August 2015 |language=de |access-date=25 July 2021}}</ref> These strict measures have been opposed by some of the leading kava scientists. In early 2016, a court case was filed against the Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM/German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices), arguing that the new regulatory regime is too strict and not justified.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailypost.vu/news/new-kava-challenge/article_8e921a99-f924-54a9-b17c-891d55811f52.html |title=New Kava Challenge|website=Vanuatu Daily Post |access-date=12 June 2023 |date=17 February 2016 |last=Joshua |first=Jane }}</ref>

In the [[United Kingdom]], it is a criminal offence to sell, supply, or import any medicinal product containing kava for human consumption.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3170/contents/made|title=The Medicines for Human Use (Kava-kava) (Prohibition) Order 2002|access-date=26 October 2013 |website=Legislation.gov.uk}}</ref> It is legal to possess kava for personal use or to import it for purposes other than human consumption (e.g., for animals).

Until August 2018, Poland was the only EU country with an "outright ban on kava" and where the mere possession of kava was prohibited and may have resulted in a prison sentence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://dailypost.vu/news/kava-banned-in-poland/article_845575d3-6dd0-5c03-a1c4-e0720c868a7a.html|title=Kava banned in Poland |date=Dec 27, 2017 |last=Garae|first=Len|work=Vanuatu Daily Post|access-date=2018-09-02|language=en}}</ref> Under the new legislation, kava is no longer listed among prohibited substances and it is therefore legal to possess, import, and consume the plant,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://isap.sejm.gov.pl/isap.nsf/DocDetails.xsp?id=WDU20180001591 |title=Rozporządzenie Ministra Zdrowia z dnia 17 sierpnia 2018 r. w sprawie wykazu substancji psychotropowych, środków odurzających oraz nowych substancji psychoaktywnych|website=prawo.sejm.gov.pl|language=pl|access-date=12 June 2023 }}</ref> but it remains illegal to sell it within Poland for the purpose of human consumption.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rp.pl/Zdrowie/309039965-Kava-zalegalizowana-Marihuana-bedzie-nastepna.html|title=Kava zalegalizowana. Marihuana będzie następna?|website=www.rp.pl|language=pl|access-date=2018-12-12}}</ref>

In the Netherlands, for unknown reasons, the ban was never lifted, and it is still prohibited to prepare, manufacture, or trade kava or goods containing kava.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wetten.overheid.nl/BWBR0012174/2022-07-01/0#Artikel4|title=Warenwetbesluit Kruidenpreparaten|first=Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en|last=Koninkrijksrelaties|website=wetten.overheid.nl}}</ref>

Due to safety concerns, including reports of hepatotoxicity and limitations in clinical evidence, the [[Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products]] (HMPC) concluded in 2017 that the benefit-risk balance for the oral use of kava in the treatment of anxiety disorders is unfavorable, and therefore a [[European Union]] herbal monograph could not be established.<ref name="EMA2017">{{cite web |title=Final Assessment Report on Piper methysticum G. Forst., rhizoma |url=https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-report/final-assessment-report-piper-methysticum-g-forst-rhizoma_en.pdf |website=European Medicines Agency |publisher=Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) |date=21 November 2017 |access-date=14 May 2025}}</ref>

===New Zealand===
When used traditionally, kava is regulated as a food under the Food Standards Code. Kava may also be used as an herbal remedy, where it is currently regulated by the Dietary Supplements Regulations. Only traditionally consumed forms and parts of the kava plant (i.e., pure roots of the kava plant, water extractions prepared from these roots) can legally be sold as food or dietary supplements in New Zealand. The aerial parts of the plant (growing up and out of the ground), unlike the roots, contain relatively small amounts of kavalactones; instead, they contain a mildly toxic alkaloid, pipermethysticine.<ref name=":2" /> While not normally consumed, the sale of aerial plant sections and non-water based extract (such as {{CO2}}, acetonic, or ethanol extractions) is prohibited for the purpose of human consumption (but can be sold as an ingredient in cosmetics or other products not intended for human consumption).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/dunne-kava-unaffected-psychoactive-substances-bill|title=Dunne: Kava unaffected by Psychoactive Substances Bill|website=The Beehive|access-date=2016-10-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2015-gs1906|title=Standard 2.6.3 – Kava – Food Standards (Proposal P1025 – Code Revision) Variation—Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Amendment No. 154 - 2015-gs1906 - New Zealand Gazette|website=gazette.govt.nz|access-date=2016-07-02}}</ref>

===Canada===
In 2002, [[Health Canada]] issued an order prohibiting the sale of any product containing kava.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Marketed Health Products Directorate Heath Products and Foods Branch|journal=Canadian Adverse Reaction Newsletter|volume=12|issue=4|url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/medeff/bulletin/carn-bcei_v12n4-eng.php|year=2002}}</ref> While the restrictions on kava were lifted in 2012,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodpharma/applic-demande/guide-ld/newdrug-drognouv/ndrugs_ndrogue-eng.php |title=Listing of Drugs Currently Regulated as New Drugs (The New Drugs List) |date=26 May 2016 |website=www.hc-sc.gc.ca |publisher=Health Canada |access-date=3 July 2017}}</ref> Health Canada lists five kava ingredients, as of 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/ingredsReq.do?srchRchTxt=kava&srchRchRole=-1&mthd=Search&lang=eng|title=Ingredients - Kava|publisher=Health Canada|date=2017|access-date=1 July 2017|archive-date=11 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811202841/http://webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca/nhpid-bdipsn/ingredsReq.do?srchRchTxt=kava&srchRchRole=-1&mthd=Search&lang=eng|url-status=dead}}</ref> although manufactured products containing kava or its extracts must be approved by the federal government before marketing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthwise/kava|title=Kava|publisher=HealthLink BC, Government of British Columbia|date=14 June 2023|access-date=15 May 2025}}</ref>

===United States===
In the United States, kava is sold mainly as a dietary supplement and is not approved by the FDA as a drug.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kava: Usefulness and Safety |url=https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/kava |website=National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health |publisher=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=2025-05-16}}</ref> Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring product safety and proper labeling, while consumers are advised to consult healthcare professionals before using kava supplements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kava: Usefulness and Safety |url=https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/kava |website=National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health |publisher=U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |access-date=2025-05-16}}</ref>

In 2002, the U.S. [[regulation of food and dietary supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration|Food and Drug Administration]] warned that kava-containing dietary supplements, promoted for [[Relaxation (psychology)|relaxation]] and other uses, may cause rare but severe liver injury—including [[hepatitis]], [[cirrhosis]], and [[liver failure]]—and advised consumers, especially those with liver issues or on liver-impacting drugs, to consult a [[Physician|doctor]] before use and to report any related [[adverse effect]]s.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm085482.htm|title=Consumer Advisory: Kava-Containing Dietary Supplements May be Associated with Severe Liver Injury|publisher=US Food and Drug Administration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603082809/https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm085482.htm|archive-date=2009-06-03|access-date=2020-06-28|url-status=dead|date=25 March 2002}}</ref>

The FDA concluded in 2020 that kava is not [[generally recognized as safe]] (GRAS) for use in conventional foods due to evidence of toxicity, potential liver damage, possible carcinogenicity, drug interactions, and a lack of sufficient safety data.<ref name="fda-2020">{{cite web
 |title=Scientific Memorandum: Kava
 |url=https://www.fda.gov/media/169556/download
 |publisher=U.S. Food and Drug Administration
 |date=2020-08-11
 |access-date=2025-05-14
}}</ref>

In response to the FDA’s determination, the [[Hawaii Department of Health]] concluded in [[2024]] that traditionally prepared beverages made from noble kava root using water or [[coconut water]] are considered under specific conditions, based on historical use prior to [[1958]].<ref>{{cite web
 |title=GRAS Determination for 'Awa
 |url=https://health.hawaii.gov/food-drug/files/2024/01/DOH-GRAS-Determination-for-Awa.pdf
 |publisher=Hawaii Department of Health
 |access-date=2025-05-14
}}</ref>

===Vanuatu===
The Pacific island-state of Vanuatu has passed legislation to regulate the quality of its kava exports. Vanuatu prohibits the export or consumption of non-noble kava varieties or the parts of the plant that are unsuitable for consumption (such as leaves and stems).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://faolex.fao.org/docs/html/van38473.htm|title=Vanuatu - Legislation - Kava Act 2002|website=faolex.fao.org|access-date=2016-07-02|archive-date=10 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110211302/http://faolex.fao.org/docs/html/van38473.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>