The ban on Pacific kava products has been lifted by the Welsh National Assembly, allowing kava imports into Wales for the first time since they were restricted in 2002.
Pacific Island countries have been trying to recover a multi million dollar kava trade with Europe and North America after adverse publicity about health concerns saw sales collapse.
Restictrictions were imposed in 2001 following a claim made in Germany that up to 30 people had suffered liver damage as a direct result of consuming kava based products.
The Pacific kava industry countered that Pacific Islanders have safely used kava for hundreds of years withouth any ill effects.
A subsequent study initiated by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat found no scientific basis for the ban.
