Is Kava Legal? The South Pacific is globally renowned for countless reasons, from its glorious beaches and laid-back ethos to its nuanced cuisine and enchanting kava-kava—a beverage, more commonly known in the U.S. as kava, that’s practically synonymous with Polynesian culture.[1]What was almost exclusively found in Hawaii and island nations like Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu has made a considerable splash in the continental U.S., with dozens of kava bars opening up from Manhattan to Miami in the last eight or so years.[2,3] But despite its present ubiquity, the advisory alert set out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002 naturally evokes the question: Is kava legal in America?[4] In a word: Yes. The Department of Justice (DOJ)...