What exactly qualifies something as drug “paraphernalia” and can you get in legal trouble for having any?
Drug paraphernalia is defined by the American Federal Drug Enforcement Administration as any equipment, product, or material that is modified for making, using, or concealing illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Drug paraphernalia generally falls into two categories including user-specific products and dealer-specific products. User-specific products are marketed to illegal drug users to assist them in taking or concealing illegal drugs. These products include glass hashish pipes, crack cocaine pipes, smoking masks, hashish bongs, cocaine freebase kits, syringes, roach clips for holding the burning end of a marijuana “joint”, and items such as hollowed-out cosmetic cases or fake pagers used to conceal illegal drugs. Some stores sell items for growing hydroponic marijuana, such as guidebooks, fertilizer, and fluorescent grow-lights, and products purported to cleanse an individuals system of drug residues to increase the individual’s chance of passing a
In the United States, under the Federal Drug Paraphernalia Statute, which is part of the Controlled Substances Act, it is illegal to sell, transport through the mail, transport across state lines, import, or export drug paraphernalia as defined. There is no Federal law regarding simple possession of drug paraphernalia, but such possession is usually illegal under State law. The law gives specific guidance on determining what constitutes drug paraphernalia. Many states have also enacted their own laws prohibiting drug paraphernalia. Government crackdowns have resulted in the arrest of sellers of recreational drug paraphernalia, such as actor Tommy Chong, who spent time in prison in 2003 for the sale of glass pipes. In the United Kingdom the sale of such drug paraphernalia is not prohibited by law at present. It is common to find at least one head shop in an average sized town selling vaporizers, water-bongs, one-hitters, stash cans, herb grinders etc.[citation needed] Sale is also not i
Drug paraphernalia is defined by the American Federal Drug Enforcement Administration as any equipment, product, or material that is modified for making, using, or concealing illegal drugs such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine. Drug paraphernalia generally falls into two categories including user-specific products and dealer-specific products. User-specific products are marketed to illegal drug users to assist them in taking or concealing illegal drugs. These products include glass hashish pipes, crack cocaine pipes, smoking masks, hashish bongs, cocaine freebase kits, syringes, roach clips for holding the burning end of a marijuana “joint”, and items such as hollowed-out cosmetic cases or fake pagers used to conceal illegal drugs. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
