What does Science have to say about drinking kava and driving? According to Dr Apo Aporoso, a kava researchers at the University of Waikato in New Zealand interviewed by Australian media ABC, “a study testing driver reactions after a six-hour session of high-volume kava drinking found no statistically significant effect on driving ability.”

So it doesn’t seem to be as bad as alcohol, but the researcher still urges caution : “this is new science, we need to interpret this data cautiously. More testing using different techniques may show there is a degree of impairment, and Pacific people should be cautious about getting behind the wheel of a car after a heavy kava drinking session.”

In fact assuming that this study means it is totally safe to drink kava and drive “would be a very dangerous interpretation. We need to interpret this data very cautiously. I’m a kava user, I drink kava heavily, and I’m not saying that as soon as I drink kava I become dangerous, but I think there is something going on (in your brain). So we have to think of other drivers, friends and family that might be in our car… But from a scientific point of view this is very interesting, I hope we can find more funding and move on to the next level of (study).”