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The short version is this:
We have clear and definitive information from Health
Canada, as well as a personal letter from a high-ranking
Health official, that Kona Kava Farm can legally export
Kava to Canada, as long as it is sold to individuals
making purchases for personal consumption!
READ FULL STORY HERE -
This is astonishing news!!!
We used to not shipping our prized
Kava to Canada because there was a ban issued on its
sale in August of 2002 by Health Canada, although there
have been conflicting reports about a change to that law
in 2004, making it's legal status unclear. We have
tried to contact Health Canada, and we have found
several entries in the
Natural Health Product Compliance regarding
Kava.
If you scroll to the bottom of the above page, you will
notice that Kava is NOT included in the Prohibited
Substances table, but in the "Restricted Substances not
in the Food and Drug Regulations" table instead.
Furthermore, in the "Notes" and "Considerations"
sections, where adverse reactions and precautions are
typically listed, they are blank, making its status even
more mysterious.
Before we received this
"letter of permission" from Canada to offer our Kava to
citizens of Canada, the only other clue we were able to
secure was from a letter we received a few years ago
from the "Natural Health
Products Directorate", who said:
Kona Kava Farm -
Please note that there is no ban on Kava kava in
Canada. While it is a substance for which
Health Canada has concerns, before any natural health
product (NHP) can be sold commercially in Canada, it must first
undergo a pre-market review where it is assessed for
safety, efficacy, and quality.
Evidence demonstrating this must be
submitted to Health Canada by means of a product license
application. Products which meet the required criteria
will be authorized for sale and each issued a Natural
Product Number (NPN), or in the case of homeopathic
medicines, a DIN-HM.
Kava is an acceptable ingredient in
the formulation of an NHP - however, appropriate
evidence must be submitted in support of its quality,
safety and efficacy.
With kind regards,
Natural Health Products Directorate
Direction des produits de santé naturels
Tower/Tour A, Qualicum, AL 3301
2936 rue Baseline Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9.
Although used
safely when used correctly for thousands of years,
Health Canada, in 2002, cited a handful of reports dangers associated
with prolonged kava use. As a result, the Canadian
regulatory agency decided to remove all kava-containing
products, including the raw herb, from the Canadian
market at that time, although few stores complied.
The original government article on the ban from August
21 of 2002 can be found on the
Health Advisory page at Health Canada.
As they state on their website: "Health Canada is
therefore requiring Canadian manufacturers, distributors
and importers to stop the sale of kava-containing
products, and is requesting that these products be
recalled from all levels of the market. Health Canada is
working to identify all importers, manufacturers and
distributors of kava-containing products to monitor the
removal of these products. Health Canada will also issue
a customs alert to prevent further shipments of these
products from entering Canada."
So, to be completely clear: Business that are IN
Canada are not allowed to import and/or sell Kava,
period. BUT, Kona Kava Farm (in sunny Hawaii), can
legally and without restriction, export Kava Products to
Canada, as long as we only sell it to PRIVATE
INDIVIDUALS.
We can't wholesale it to any other
businesses, but we can ship all the Kava we want to our
kind neighbors to the North without restriction.
Yes, there are still a few health food stores in Canada that are ignoring the
ban, or are simply completely unaware of the ban, but
Customs officials at the border are aware of the
ban, and are sometimes stopping packages that look as though
they might contain traces of kava herbal
product inside them.
If you want us to keep the package "unmarked" or to
state that the contents of your package are different
than they actually are, we don’t engage in such
practices, but there's also no reason to do so.
We've sent Kava across the border on many many occasions
since we were given permission, and not a single package
has been stopped.
In the past, when
enough people make enough noise about an issue, changes
can be made. Do the research, study the results of the
clinical trials that were conducted in response to the
ban, and make a difference. Maybe, just like Germany, in
a year or two, you will be free to order this product
that has a track record that is safer than aspirin
freely in your own country once again.
Until then, we are happy to provide our
Canadian neighbors with the most potent kava known to
exist today! - Aloha no, Makaira |
