A day after a bill that would ban the sale of bongs and certain pipes in Florida overwhelming passed the Florida House, its sister bill found similarly broad support in the Senate. The bill passed the legislative body 31-2 today, and will now head to Gov. Rick Scott.
Though, the bill has been considerably watered down since its inception and would have virtually no effect.
See also:
- Anti-Bong Bill Passes Florida House 112-3
While other states are loosening their laws regarding marijuana (medical or otherwise), Florida politicians seemed determined to crack down on pot, at least in message. The new law would make it a misdemeanor to sell pipes and bongs intended for smoking marijuana. A felony would follow for the second offense.
The final version heading to Gov. Scott would only ban the sale of the pipes (and for that mater anything on this list, which includes things like balloons and duct tape) if the seller is "knowingly and willingly" offering it to someone who would use the device to ingest illegal drugs. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the final bill has basically been stripped of all its teeth.
Meaning people can still buy and sell pipes and bongs if they're for tobacco use. So essentially nothing at all has changed. What a wonderful use of the Florida legislature's time! Good job everyone!
The only "no" votes came from Sen. Jeff Clemons (D-Lake Worth) and Gwen Margolis (D-Miami Beach).
Rep. Darryl Rousen, a former crack addict who initiated the bill in the House, has admitted that he knew the bill wouldn't actually prevent people from procuring smoking devices, but he just wanted to make it a little bit harder to do so while sending an anti-drug message.
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