Yirrkala elder Banduk Marika laughs wryly when asked if the widespread use of kava in Arnhem Land is an "open secret".

"It's public knowledge. Pacific Islanders are here and they're selling kava," she said from her home in Yirrkala, in Northeast Arnhem Land.

"I know for a fact they've been selling it widely and they've been making a lot of money out of Aboriginal people [because] I've seen people go and buy it."

And so it was for that reason that Ms Marika was surprised to learn of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's plan to ease restrictions on bringing more kava into Australia.

"They're making huge money … and in [bigger] numbers it will just explode," she said.

NT Police have the evidence to suggest Ms Marika is right. Kava trafficking is expanding, and there's a lot of money to be made.

The ABC can reveal that the Prime Minister's team has not asked to see any data relating to kava busts in the NT within the past six months — despite Mr Morrison making a captain's call which could gravely impact remote Aboriginal communities.

PM Morrison doubles down on pledge

Kava is usually made into a bitter drink from the crushed root of a pepper plant, and is drunk with water for its numbing and euphoric properties.

Excessive consumption in North East Arnhem Land has supported criminal activity around the distribution, sale and misuse of kava.

Police say overwhelmingly, it is members of various Pacific Island communities who run the kava syndicates into Arnhem Land.

Mr Morrison announced his plan to ease the restrictions on kava imports during his recent trip to Vanuatu and other Pacific nations.

Scott Morrison has promised to loosen kava import restrictions. ( ABC News: Jed Cooper )

Mr Morrison argues that the current 2kg limit on kava for personal use by Pacific Islanders is too culturally restrictive, and that concerns around problem use of kava by Aboriginal communities can be managed.

When Mr Morrison was asked if he had discussed the issue with his Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion — who previously argued for a total ban on kava — prior to his announcement, he doubled down.

"I'm very alive to those risks," Mr Morrison said.

"But I don't think it's beyond our wit or capability to ensure that we can manage personal importation for private use, so that when Pacific communities get together in Ashfield in Sydney, they can get more than, you know, half a bowl of kava."

At the core of Mr Morrison's reasons for inviting higher kava imports are the economic opportunities it would afford Vanuatu, and because of its cultural significance.

Minister backflips on own argument

Mr Scullion argued for a total ban on kava in 2015, saying there was no "safe" amount of kava because in reality it was being sold in Indigenous communities for large profits.

But following Mr Morrison's surprise announcement in January, Mr Scullion backflipped on his original position.

He told the ABC he believed police had "pretty much broken the back" of the "leakage" of kava into Indigenous communities.

Kava seized in Katherine, believed to be headed into Arnhem Land. ( NT Police: Provided by NT Police )

"We really believe because of the efforts that have been made since about 2015 and now … the leakage is reduced significantly," Mr Scullion said.

"We made an assessment and we think that there won't be any further leakage, and we have great processes in place to identify if that happens."

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's office said the Therapeutic Goods Administration would soon be releasing a "consultation paper" on how the trial would be implemented, saying that would allow the community to provide input into how the trial would operate.

Mr Morrison declined to answer any of the ABCs questions about what consultations were conducted prior to the announcement in Vanuatu.

Police highlight inaccuracy of Scullion, Morrison's views

The NT police confirmed that neither the office of the Prime Minister or the Indigenous Affairs Minister had sought or received any data relating to the seizure or use of kava in the Northern Territory within the last six months.

Frontline drug and organised crime detective Senior Constable Ken Bradshaw says not only is the job not yet done, but kava trafficking is indeed expanding.

"[Kava trafficking] has expanded in my experience over the last four years into communities that we didn't originally see," he said.

"There's a reasonable demand for kava in communities like Nhulunbuy, Ramingining, Millingimbi, as far as Goulburn Island, and we've even detected kava being trafficked to Groote Eylandt.

"There is a lot of money to be made.

"There are people trafficking kava to the NT from interstate, and there's considerable case studies to back that up."

He said typical street deals of kava were $1 per gram, making the profit margin for dealers extremely high.

Mr Scullion said he would soon meet with NT Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw to discuss possible further steps to control trafficking.

Elders say their communities haven't been prioritised

Terry Yumbulul is a Yolngu elder in Gunyangara and works for the Aboriginal-controlled health organisation Miwatj Health.

Like Banduk Marika, an Order of Australia recipient, he's alive to the ubiquity of kava in everyday life throughout Arnhem Land, and especially in his own community.

Yolngu elder Terry Yumbulul has seen the impact of kava on remote communities at first hand. ( ABC News: Jamie Kokles-Ridgeway )

He believes any national-level change to kava imports will certainly impact locals.

"[More kava] would end up in Arnhem Land — anything that's bad ends up in Arnhem Land," Mr Yumbulul said.

"Instead of buying food for their family, they buy kava.

"They can't walk, they sometimes crawl. You know, do we want to turn them into a community that stands and walks tall, or one that crawls like a worm?

"Kava will kill people and it has killed people in Northeast Arnhem.

"That's the fear that we're living with, of people dying … it paralyses everything.

"What I would say to the Australian Government is think about your own here first before you deliver something that's foreign, because bringing other substances to this country is foreign.

"Because we're losing our culture, but I suppose other people may think adopting someone else's culture is good. But is it for good or bad?"