Posted by Online kava products followed kava bars. Kava can be the single active ingredient in a product or come in a blend with additional Although you have the ultimate access to them nowadays, it’s natural to wonder whether kava will pose any problems for pre-employment drug testing – the one thing holding you back from a particular job position.
Kava is calming. It can also give a “buzz” that’s not intoxicating like alcohol, but still a cause for concern, especially at higher doses. Learn about the laws surrounding kava, any issues that might come up in a drug test, and what to do if you encounter them.
What Is Kava’s Classification?
Kava is a bitter root that is native to Oceania. There, it has a cultural and traditional use for bonding purposes and medicinal or spiritual ceremonies. It spread throughout the world via voyaging expeditions.
The FDA classifies kava as a dietary supplement or food additive. Traditionally prepared kava beverages from its powder form are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) as a conventional food, but the same is not true for kava as a mass-market food additive in the form of roots, capsules, and extracts.
The active ingredients or bioactive compounds within kava are kavalactones, which is what you want to look for when dosing. Noble kava root is a cultivar that has more pleasant effects than non-noble kava, so it is in use for regular consumption, although it takes longer to grow.
At low to moderate doses (150 to 300 mg of kavalactones), kava functions as a nootropic. It acts as a sedative at high or heavy doses, making it risky to operate heavy machinery – after all, such doses are for winding down or relaxing at home.
All of kava’s effects come from its interaction with GABA receptors, its acting as a reuptake inhibitor of dopamine and norepinephrine (noradrenaline), regulating serotonin to maintain good mood, and calming down glutamate from exciting the brain. It also slows down MAO-B to prevent breaking down dopamine and other neurotransmitters.
Benefits of kava
- Mental clarity and focus
- Emotional calm
- Good mood
- Stress and anxiety relief
- Physical relaxation
- Social ease
Kava’s Legal Status
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes traditional, water-based kava as low-risk in regards to health. It’s just not legal everywhere, whether for commercial consumption, personal possession, or importing.
What are the laws surrounding kava?
Kava is legal for possession and consumption at the federal level in the United States. it is unregulated as part of the “botanicals” category, so there’s no federal oversight for safety. The responsibility for quality control lies with the manufacturer. There are some differences in the selling of kava, though, depending on its form.
Kava bars need a standard local health department food service permit, just like for juice bars and coffee shops. Since federal and state health agencies prohibit using kava as a “food additive” and mixing it into existing drinks or snacks, it must be served as a beverage. It can only be prepared as a traditional single-ingredient tea using water to steep noble kava root or powder. Also, some state jurisdictions limit kava to customers age 21 or older.
For standard retail vendors who sell pre-packaged kava products, they only need standard business credentials. If the vendor is manufacturing, packaging, or blending the kava themselves, they must register with the FDA and comply with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs). Regardless, kava must be sold as a conventional food item or dietary supplement.
In New York, it is legal to possess kava powder and engage in home brewing, but not to prepare and serve it in a bar or food establishment. Wisconsin has similar laws where the commercial sale and distribution of kava is illegal.
Drug Testing Issues
Fortunately, there are no standard industries or jobs, even government ones, that actively test for kava. Federally mandated testing and highly-sensitive, safety-critical occupations do not include kava in their drug testing.
That goes for the 5-panel, 10-panel, and 12-panel drug screens in whatever form. For an employer to test for kava, they would have to go through the trouble of requesting a special add-on just for kavalactones.
False positives
There are rare occasions when a urine drug screen can mistake the kava compound kavain for amphetamines or MDMA. However, confirmatory testing can use gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to correctly identify the kavalactones. If you get a false positive, speak to them right away and request the specialized testing to clear you.
Product blends and adulteration
If your kava comes in a product blend or mixture, there are other compounds you may have to worry about. THC, for example, would make you fail a drug test if it’s illegal in your state, your employer tests for it, or you are being tested for performance impairment on the job.
Another scenario that could make you fail a drug test is if your kava product or product blend contains secret illicit ingredients, making it adulterated. They could also secretly contain bioactive compounds that get mistaken for methadone or opioids, like kratom alkaloids, which could also show up as a false positive.
Beware of “drug alternative” branding that claims to mimic street drugs or pharmaceuticals. Make sure to get a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) where you can see all of the product’s active ingredients – an illicit or other ingredient that shouldn’t be there and is absent will say “nd” for “non-detectable” levels.
Getting Safe Kava Products
Real Botanicals has a GMP-compliant facility and does all of the manufacturing of their products. They also openly display comprehensive independent, third-party lab reports in the form of CoAs, ingredients, and safety information for each product listing. A private laboratory and small-batch testing guarantees scientific precision, pharmaceutical-grade microcrystalline cellulose, and consistency across batches.
Kava Karma is a noble kava tablet they offer for people who want only pure kava. Dialing in to relaxation and good times has never been easier. If you prefer kratom and kava for decompressing and socializing, consider their Mood Boost kratom and kava shots with GABA, L-theanine, and Ashwagandha.
Final Thoughts
Kava is legal for personal possession and consumption in all 50 states. However, there are individual state laws for commercial consumption. There is no pre-existing drug testing for kava, but consumers need to be aware of the risk of false positives and purchasing blends or products with illicit ingredients or employer-banned substances, such as THC, that would cause impairment.
You might also enjoy reading: Mood Boost Kratom and Kava Shots vs. Kava Karma by Real Botanicals: Choose Your Alcohol Alternative and Introducing Real Botanicals’ Kava Karma: Maximum Social Chill