1.   Doctors say there are no proven side-effects of kava use, although long-term excessive use causes the skin to scale.

2.   Kava use has risen so steeply here that it is disrupting daily village work routines.

3.   Kava use is now prevalent in eight Aboriginal communities, and consumption levels are far higher than Pacific ceremonial use.

4.   Problems caused by kava use have prompted new calls for the substance to be banned, or greater controls placed on its trade.

5.   The government of the Northern Territory, where kava use and abuse in Aboriginal communities is centered, has gone further and announced this week it will be outlawed.

6.   The government of the Northern Territory, where kava use and abuse in Aboriginal communities is centered, went further and announced that kava will be outlawed.