for drugs and medical devices) arguing that the new regulatory regime is too strict and not justified. in the united kingdom it is a criminal offence to sell, supply or import any medicinal product containing kava for human consumption. it is legal to possess kava for personal use, or to import it for purposes other than human consumption (e.g. for animals). until august 2018, poland was the only eu country with an "outright ban on kava" and where the mere possession of kava was prohibited and may have resulted in a prison sentence. under the new legislation, kava is no longer listed among prohibited substances and it is therefore legal to possess, import and consume the plant, but it remains illegal to sell it within poland for the purpose of human consumption. in the netherlands, for unknown reasons, the ban was never lifted and it is still prohibited to prepare, manufacture or trade kava or goods containing kava. new zealand when used traditionally, kava is regulated as a food under the food standards code. kava may also be used as an herbal remedy, where it is currently regulated by the dietary supplements regulations. only traditionally consumed forms and parts of the kava plant (i.e., pure roots of the kava plant, water extractions prepared from these roots) can legally be sold as food or dietary supplements in new zealand. the aerial parts of the plant (growing up and out of the ground), unlike the roots, contain relatively small amounts of kavalactones; instead, they contain a mildly toxic alkaloid pipermethysticine. while not normally consumed, the sale of aerial plant sections and non-water based extract (such as co2, acetonic or ethanol extractions) is prohibited for the purpose of human consumption (but can be sold as an ingredient in cosmetics or other products not intended for human consumption). north america in 2002, health canada issued an order prohibiting the sale of any product containing kava. while the restrictions on kava were lifted in 2012, health canada lists five kava ingredients as of 2017. in 2002, the u.s. food and drug administration issued a consumer advisory: "kava-containing dietary supplements may be associated with severe liver injury." no legal action was taken and this advisory has since been archived. vanuatu the pacific island-state of vanuatu has passed legislation to regulate the quality of its kava exports. vanuatu prohibits the export or consumption of non-noble kava varieties or the parts of the plant that are unsuitable for consumption (such as leaves and stems).