American kava bar owners and members of the American Kava Growers Group have denied accusations that they are mixing kratom with kava to give it a drug-like hit that appeals to American kava consumers.
“Claims that we are mixing kratom into kava is totally wrong,” said Florida-based Jeffrey Bowman, founder of the American kava bar industry and owner of Nakamal at Home.
“I have never done that once and am very against it.
I only mix water in kava and don’t recommend anything else.
I have no problem with people’s opinion and I understand people are confused and angry and that’s ok.
But defaming me or making untruthful statements is not nice or professional,” Mr Bowman said, as the group’s revelation that they have successfully grown and harvested America’s own homegrown kava has sparked concerns and outrage across the Pacific.
In a lengthy email to The Fiji Times on Monday, New Zealand academic, kava researcher and former police officer Dr Apo Apolosa said research showed American kava bars were adding kratom, “a leaf from Southeast Asia that acts as an opiate mimicking drug — to kava as this gives safe kava a euphoric hit”.
He said “kava adulteration with substances like kratom” had the potential to initiate another international kava ban similar to the 1990s ban that killed the Pacific’s kava export market overnight.
“More concerning is that clinicians are increasingly reporting kratom safety concerns, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ‘has warned consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events, including liver toxicity, seizures, and substance use disorder (addiction)’.”
In response, Mr Bowman told The Fiji Times that “we drink kava just like you do. We say Bula! and drink our shells.”
He said kratom is legal in Florida where it is considered “food”.
“Each state governs the legality of kratom individually.
In some states, it’s illegal.
Most states, kratom is legal and here in Florida, we can sell it as food, so even if I was mixing kratom into kava, which I’m not, it’s acceptable in the state of Florida.”
He said while it is common to see kava and kratom sold together in US kava bars alongside coffee, juice and tea, it is not common practice there to mix them together “because you have to inform the consumer what they are drinking”.
“(Dr Apo) seems confused about how Fijians drink kava in 2024.
Fijians are mixing kava in plastic tubs, sitting on chairs, at a table with some Vonu pure beers as washback, while also smoking cigarettes in between shells. 95 per cent of daily kava drinking is done in an informal setting.”
He said since he started America’s first kava bar in 2001, kava drinking in the US had taken on a life and culture of its own.
“Some kava bars are starting to sell kava mocktails made with juice and flavourings.
Most bars, however, drink kava the same as all Fijians.
We soak powder in water and strain it with a nylon cloth and drink it. I would say that 100 per cent of American kava bar customers know the word bula and what it means and where it comes from.”