"Smoking Pipe" law goes into effect July 1, 2010, state-wide

[strider]

Somewhere along the way, common sense has to come into play.  Rose stems should be outlawed because they "might" be used for an illegal purpose?  There are literally thousands of items sold every single day that could fall into that category.  And besides, in what world do you thing that street crack head, you know, the ones that scare you, not the ones that live next door in that 600K house, would spent money on that rose when your classic car antenna can be had for free?

We have ash issues that could easily collapse the entire community and some are worried about glass rose stems and fancy pipes no self respecting street addict would use in a thousand years. And the laughable part is that our law makers listened to those few and spent untold thousands of our tax dollars to pass a law to regulate who can sell those pipes. Hey, I guess it gave them something to do other than worry about the real and bigger problems.

[sheclown]

I am glad they did this, Strider.  I like the definitive nature of it all.

[Timkin]

It is a stupid ass law IMO .

[Jaxson]

The stranger thing about this legislation is how it came into being.  It's strongest advocate is a Democrat who happens to be a former crack addict.  While his heart is in the right place, I do not believe that this new law will ultimately end the drug problem...

[Timkin]

If only.....  Can you imagine the amount of money that has been spent on "the War on Drugs" ?  I have to concur Jaxson , the advocate is probably coming from a good place.. but not all people are addicted to crack.  Not all people are addicted to meth.   By the grace of God I have never messed with either.   But I personally do not consider weed to be comparable with either of these.  I think it should be decriminalized, treated with similar laws as alcohol influence ,so as to curtail drivers... but it is in a league of its own, and I personally do not see weed as a gateway drug (or drug at all for that matter)   to worse addictions.. The irony is , Alcohol IS a drug , it is legal. It kills many people every day either in health related ways, or car accidents, yet it still remains for sale on every corner of most every country.  To me something is terribly wrong with this picture. 

[Debbie Thompson]

They'll need to outlaw soda bottles, soda cans, tin foil, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, and remove apples, pears, mangoes, melons, lemons, limes, and many other types of fruits and vegetables from the stores. In my youth, I've made pipes from all of these various items.

Still processing the image of Sox smoking a mango. 

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

i've never even heard ov fruit pipes before, but i imagine some ov them could be pretty nifty.

[Jaxson]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/head-shop-owners-dont-like-floridas-new-bong-bill/1105625

[Timkin]

I think this is a completely STUPID bill.  Sorry ... I know Ive already said that

[Jaxson]

I agree with you 100%, Timkin! : )

[Timkin]

Thanks    LETS PROTEST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol

[Jaxson]

Let's have a smoke-in...just kidding...you can stop tapping my phones, DEA! ; )

[Timkin]

LOL..

[sheclown]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/civil/head-shop-owners-dont-like-floridas-new-bong-bill/1105625

Head shop owners don't like Florida's new 'bong bill'

By Shelley Rossetter, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Tuesday, June 29, 2010

TAMPA â€" A state law that makes it a crime to sell smoking devices such as pipes and bongs at most head shops takes effect Thursday.

And that has some of the shop owners fuming.

So much so that 26 of the specialty retail stores across the state have filed a lawsuit in Hillsborough County to stop the law, calling it unconstitutional.

The law "singles out a specific type of retail business, and criminalizes the owners," the lawsuit filed on June 18 said.

Beginning Thursday, stores may sell bongs and pipes only if they have a state license to sell tobacco and derive 75 percent of their annual revenue from tobacco products, or no more than 25 percent from the smoking devices.

According to the law, smoking devices include any metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic or ceramic smoking pipes, water pipes or bongs.

For Rep. Darryl Rouson, the St. Petersburg Democrat who sponsored the so-called bong bill, the law reveals the truth behind a charade going on for years.

"Everyone knows what's being smoked out of these pipes; the only ones who claim they don't know are the sellers of these pipes," he said. "The law just tries to chip away at what we know is a facade."

The lawsuit, filed against the state by businesses including G-Spot III in Tampa and Mellow Mood in Pinellas Park, also says the law is problematic in its approach to determining which businesses can legally sell the smoking devices in such a short time frame.

The law "cannot be validly enforced because there is no provision for any method to determine" the percentage of sales or the annual revenue made through the sales of tobacco products or smoking devices, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit suggests an effective date of July 1, 2011, instead.

An attorney for the businesses could not be reached Monday.

Shelley Rossetter can be reached at (863) 226-3374 or srossetter@sptimes.com.

[Last modified: Jun 28, 2010 11:24 PM]

[soxfan]

They'll need to outlaw soda bottles, soda cans, tin foil, paper towel and toilet paper rolls, and remove apples, pears, mangoes, melons, lemons, limes, and many other types of fruits and vegetables from the stores. In my youth, I've made pipes from all of these various items.

Still processing the image of Sox smoking a mango.  

Deb, it was all about the creativity.. We tried all kinds of things, some worked, some didn't.. I was young..