AUSTRALIA: Pacific communities furious over kava ban
Updated
Australia's Pacific Island community is furious at a federal government decision to ban the commercial importation of the drug kava. The changes were brought in two weeks ago as part of the Commonwealth's intervention plan in remote indigenous communities. Kava comes from the kava plant and is usually ground into a powder before being mixed with water to become a drink. Because of the new laws, tens of thousands of Pacific Islanders who live in Australia won't be able to drink kava, an activity they say is a crucial part of their social fabric.
Presenter: Grace Jones
Speakers: Reverend Sione Pinome of the Free Tongan Wesleyan Church; Louise Waterhouse, Honorary Consul for Tonga; Federal Minister Tony Abbott
