Ministerial Statement Kava Licensing Issues
Tabled paper 2012
Tabled Papers for 8th Assembly 1997 - 2001; Tabled Papers; ParliamentNT
2000-08-09
Tabled by Timothy Baldwin
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.
English
Tabled papers
application/pdf
Copyright
See publication
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00042
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/296004
https://hdl.handle.net/10070/394254
8 There is very little published evidence on the social effects of kava. Although it is reported that all night kava sessions contribute to peoples inability to work the next day and participate in cultural and sporting activities. One doctor with some years experience in Arnhem Land is reported as saying there are concerns about people slipping into a kava lifestyle: They drink kava all night, and sleep all day, then wake up early in the afternoon, drink a bottle of coke, buy some chicken and chips, and start drinking kava again - day after day. Let me quote another example. In one community last year a strong football competition existed with 10 teams competing. This year the competition was abandoned as there are no longer any teams. Too many people are drinking kava. As a local community newspaper reported: No draw, no umpires, no games. Very sad." Madam Speaker, kava, the substance, is said to promote social harmony and discourage violence. This may be so, however, some Aboriginal people say kava contributes to family conflict and breakdown, usually due to arguments about money being spent on kava instead of food and other family items. Some communities state that kava is a calm-inducing recreational drug and makes no trouble in the community - unlike alcohol.