- There is no drinking age in , but the locals tend not to drink alcohol. Most Ni-Vanuatu drink the country’s national drink: Kava. This juice comes from the kava root which is ground up and then squeezed to collect the juice. It looks and tastes like muddy water, but provides a very calming effect.
- The two most important rules when drinking kava are drink before you eat and beware not to drink too much. Breaking one or both rules will usually result in very adverse effects, such as nausea and vomiting.
- Ni-Vans drink kava instead of alcohol mostly because with alcohol they tend to get raucous and lewd, while kava keeps them mellow. In the cities, nakamals (kava bars) accept both men and women, while in the villages, they tend to allow only men. Women in the villages can still drink kava if they choose, but they have to go to a window and get theirs “to go.”
- There is also no smoking age. As with kava, the smokers tend to be men more than women. However, there are some women who smoke in the privacy of their own houses, but rarely in public.
- Foreign women can smoke in public, but it is still looked down upon by locals. In the cities with modernization, anything goes. You will typically see foreigners drinking alcohol and smoking freely, but this is much less the case in the villages.
- Penalties for possession of, use of, or trafficking in illegal drugs in are strict and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines.
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