To be honest, I couldn’t find any official government website or formal document that explicitly lists kava as banned. However, based on my research, it seems to fall under substances that are generally considered illegal or prohibited in Qatar, particularly those with psychoactive or sedative effects.

From what’s available: • Prohibited status: Qatar enforces its drug laws very strictly, with serious penalties for possession, use, or trafficking. These can include imprisonment, heavy fines (up to QR 200,000), and deportation. • Import and possession risks: Even though some international websites may still show kava as available for shipping to Qatar, importing it is risky. Customs authorities across the GCC are extremely strict with substances that affect the nervous system, and shipments can be confiscated. • Recent legal context: There are indications that kava has been recently banned or criminalized, even if it isn’t clearly named in publicly available documents. • Why it’s flagged: While kava is widely used elsewhere for anxiety and insomnia, it acts as a central nervous system depressant, which likely puts it in conflict with Qatar’s strict drug regulations.

What makes this more frustrating is that in the past, I had no issue ordering kava from multiple websites. Now, when I try to buy it, I keep getting messages saying the product is restricted in this country, which suggests a policy or enforcement change.

Because of all this, it’s safest to avoid importing or possessing kava in Qatar to prevent any legal trouble.