On this page we will post issues that come to light that will impact on the Vanuatu Kava Industry.
New Australian Legislation on kava
Last Thursday we discovered by pure chance that the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee had listed kava as a schedule 4 medication effective 1 August 2008. (reasons online at http://www.tga.gov.au/ndpsc/records.htm )
What this means is that it will become an offence to supply kava by any person other than a pharmacist to anyone who does not have a doctors prescription for kava.
This is in effect a total ban on kava in Australia as:
1. Doctors cannot write a prescription because "I want to buy kava and have a kava party" any more than I want to have a blood pressure pill party. They will be deregistered. They need a medical condition that is treatable by kava.
2.One cannot get a prescription for kava any more than you can have a prescription for any other raw ingredient of any pharmaceutical. It needs to be a known amount of a known substance of a known concentration of a known active ingredient.
3.Only kava pills or extracts can therefore be prescribed.
4.Kava pills were recalled in 2002 eg http://www.recalls.gov.au/view_recall_detail.php?Recall_ID_Auto=9431
5.It is a total ban on the supply of kava by another name.
6.Only a pharmacist may dispense prescription items.
7.It is a criminal offence to give ones kava (assuming one had some) to another person unless you are a pharmacist. Kava bars and circles are therefore illegal and contravention can lead to imprisonment for 2 years or a $55,000 fine or both
This is at odds with Rudds assurances to a Tongan delegation (including the prime minister) he met two weeks ago, where he promised to look into removing the import restrictions on kava. http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/a-relaxing-drop-in-dire-need-of-a-pacific-solution/2008/05/23/1211183103037.html
It is understood that the various South Pacific nations, including Vanuatu who are effected by this new law will lobby at a domestic and international level to have this overturned. The problem being is that most Sth Pacific countries, inlcuding Vanuatu are not members of the WTO, which could have possibly helped there casue.
Keep you eye on this page for more information on this new law and the effect it will have on Vanuatu.
Kava Die Back research
Field observations have almost all but convincingly (tested) concluded that the Kava Dieback (KDB) disease caused by cucumber mosaic virus (CNV) is here and attacking our kava.
The kava dieback disease contributing to the demise of the kava industry in Fiji has been tested for in Vanuatu.Test results from the technicians at the Dept. of Livestock and Quarantine (DLQ) working with SPC technicians have come up with the following using the ELISA test (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay):
1. 17 kava samples from East Ambae
2. 28 kava samples from central and south Pentecost
Results from all these tests are negative, implying that KDB disease is not present in those localities. The race is on to test other islands/sites in Vanuatu to get a clear picture on the disease status.
It will be very interesting to see what the results from Middle Bush on Tanna will be like.
