Kava ban 'sparks black market boom'

A remote Northern Territory council says an illegal trade in alcohol and marijuana is booming because of the Federal Government's new ban on kava imports.

The Ramingining Community Council's Suzanah Kuzio says kava users have run out of the mind-altering drug and are turning to other substances instead.

She says people are spending astronomical amounts on black market alcohol and the police do not seem to be able to stop the supply.

"It saddens me because there's people here who have been in trouble with the police for drinking and they're people I respect a lot," she said.

"I've never seen them be violent in any way or ...[abuse] alcohol in places where you can get alcohol legally."

A Queensland academic says kava users should not suffer any serious withdrawal symptoms even if they are forced to go cold turkey.

Associate Professor Alan Clough from James Cook University says stopping the use of the mind-altering drug will improve people's health.

"We'll start to see a reversal of the severe weight loss that happens in heavy users," he said.

"Within a couple of months we should see a reversal of the scaly skin that we see in heavy users, and also other invisible signs such as liver function will start to return to normal.

"[It] should be more or less normal in a couple of months."

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Thur, 23 Aug 2007
Source: Australian Broadcasting Commission (Australia-Web)
Website: http://www.abc.net.au/