All in Your Head Shop

Jacob Sullum | October 5, 2004

The Tacoma City Council is considering an ordinance that would make it a "gross misdemeanor," punishable by up to a $5,000 fine and a year in jail, to sell bongs, crack pipes, or other implements used to consume illegal substances. Police will not be fooled by signs proclaiming "all accessories are designed and marketed for use with tobacco and legal herbs." (As a fake head shop owner on Comedy Central's Crossballs put it, "There are a lot of people in society who enjoy smoking tobacco in very elaborate ways.") In fact, the Tacoma News Tribune reports that police plan to charge shopkeepers for selling even seemingly innocuous items such as the Love Rose, "a 4-inch glass tube stuffed with a small rose," and glass pens that "can be dismantled so that only the glass tube remains"--both of which can be used to inhale crack fumes. Retailers who want to avoid jail may also want to steer clear of aluminum foil, paper clips, spoons, and apples.