UK Kava Ban Built on Confusion, Not Science

The Kava Coalition is proud to share that an op-ed by Douglas La Rose, Executive Director, was recently published in the Fiji Times.

Titled “The UK Kava Ban was Built on Confusion, Not Science,” the piece explores the complex legal and regulatory history behind the kava ban in the UK. It clarifies that kava was never shown to be unsafe and that the assumptions behind the ban were later questioned, revised, or effectively overturned by the same authorities that had once relied on them.

Drawing from presentations and discussions at the recent UK Kava Symposium in London in March, the article examines how shifting efficacy standards, unresolved questions about product quality, and regulatory inertia helped shape decades of stigma surrounding kava. It also highlights the broader human and economic impact these policies have had on Pacific communities and kava-producing nations.

As the article notes, kava has centuries of traditional use throughout the Pacific and continues to be consumed globally. The conversation today is increasingly centered not on prohibition, but on quality standards, accurate science, and fair regulatory treatment.



The op-ed is part of a growing international conversation about evidence-based policymaking, cultural respect, and the importance of correcting outdated narratives that continue to affect Pacific economies and communities.

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