Territory Stories

Ministerial Statement Kava Licensing Issues

Details:

Title

Ministerial Statement Kava Licensing Issues

Other title

Tabled paper 2012

Collection

Tabled Papers for 8th Assembly 1997 - 2001; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT

Date

2000-08-09

Description

Tabled by Timothy Baldwin

Notes

Made available by the Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory under Standing Order 240. Where copyright subsists with a third party it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.

Language

English

Subject

Tabled papers

File type

application/pdf

Use

Copyright

Copyright owner

See publication

License

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042

Parent handle

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/296004

Citation address

https://hdl.handle.net/10070/394254

Page content

This is probably best summed up in a letter to the 4 August, 1997, edition of the Medical Journal of Australia by doctors Paul Spillane, Dale Fisher and Bart Currie: Let me quote: Abnormal liver function tests, malnutrition and kava dermopathy... are adverse effects of heavy kava use that have been commonly seen in Arnhem Land communities. Anecdotal associations with heavy kava use raised by local health care workers include increased rates of infectious diseases(beyond the already high rates), especially the potentially fatal melioidosis; malnutrition in dependants of kava drinkers; ischaemic cardiac events, including myocardial infarction and sudden death; and grand mal seizures attributed to both acute toxicity and withdrawal Or we can turn to the suggested conclusions and recommendations of the draft report, and again let me quote: The evidence contained in this report is a clear indication that the present situation regarding kava in Arnhem Land is unsatisfactory in many ways, and should not be allowed to continue.