Victorian Bong Ban

Moves to weed out retailers and make bongs a pipe dream

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THE ''green'' movement in Victoria has been dealt another blow by Premier Ted Baillieu: his election promise to ban the bong wasn't just smoke and mirrors.

The newly-elected Coalition government will introduce legislation outlawing the sale and possession of bongs, the water pipes popular with some cannabis users and, until now, available legally in more than 100 outlets across Victoria.

Mental Health Minister Mary Wooldridge told The Sunday Age the required amendments to the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 will be tabled next year in line with previous bans of ice pipes and cocaine kits. Consumer Affairs Victoria inspectors will police the ban.
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Ms Wooldridge said there would be an education period for retailers - essentially a transition period leading up to enforcement. ''This isn't about surprising retailers and penalising them for something they didn't know about. We will do our best that people are informed,'' Ms Wooldridge said.

She said the ban may take in other smoking paraphernalia, such as hash pipes, but would not include ''hubbly-bubbly pipes'', or hookahs, which are gaining popularity in Middle Eastern-themed cafes.

''This is about reducing access to cannabis-smoking, particularly for younger people … not targeting people who undertake certain cultural practices,'' she said.

Bong retailers were scornful of the move. Jim Kouts, managing director of the Off Ya Tree chain - which has 16 stores across Australia and has been in business for 33 years - said the ban made no sense. ''During the prohibition of alcohol, they did not also seek to prohibit drinking glasses. It is exactly the same thing,'' he said.

Mr Kouts said bongs were the safest way to smoke cannabis because the smoke was water cooled. Bongs would still be available online or might be made at home despite the ban, he said. The ban would have no impact on the level of cannabis use, he said.

In a street poll on Friday, The Sunday Age found little enthusiasm for the ban: six out of eight people gave the bong a thumbs up.

Australians rank among the world's top cannabis users, according to a 2009 paper published in British medical journal The Lancet.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW this year reported the number of Australians seeking hospital treatment with cannabis-related problems had jumped 30 per cent since 2002.

with BEN MARTIN

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/m...d-make-bongs-a-pipe-dream-20101204-18kse.html
 
Madness.. Bongs and pipes are big money for head shops so they will probably feel the impact quite a bit.. Crazy times..
 
; said:

THE ''green'' movement in Victoria has been dealt another blow by Premier Ted Baillieu: his election promise to ban the bong wasn't just smoke and mirrors.
The newly-elected Coalition government will introduce legislation outlawing the sale and possession of bongs, the water pipes popular with some cannabis users and, until now, available legally in more than 100 outlets across Victoria.

Mental Health Minister Mary Wooldridge told The Sunday Age the required amendments to the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Act 1981 will be tabled next year in line with previous bans of ice pipes and cocaine kits. Consumer Affairs Victoria inspectors will police the ban.
Advertisement: Story continues below

Ms Wooldridge said there would be an education period for retailers - essentially a transition period leading up to enforcement. ''This isn't about surprising retailers and penalising them for something they didn't know about. We will do our best that people are informed,'' Ms Wooldridge said.

She said the ban may take in other smoking paraphernalia, such as hash pipes, but would not include ''hubbly-bubbly pipes'', or hookahs, which are gaining popularity in Middle Eastern-themed cafes. Bong retailers were scornful of the move. Jim Kouts, managing director of the Off Ya Tree chain - which has 16 stores across Australia and has been in business for 33 years - said the ban made no sense. ''During the prohibition of alcohol, they did not also seek to prohibit drinking glasses. It is exactly the same thing,'' he said.

Mr Kouts said that a bong shop - herb tools had the best tools and were the safest way to smoke cannabis because the smoke was water cooled. Bongs would still be available online or might be made at home despite the ban, he said. The ban would have no impact on the level of cannabis use, he said.

In a street poll on Friday, The Sunday Age found little enthusiasm for the ban: six out of eight people gave the bong a thumbs up.

Australians rank among the world's top cannabis users, according to a 2009 paper published in British medical journal The Lancet.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW this year reported the number of Australians seeking hospital treatment with cannabis-related problems had jumped 30 per cent since 2002.

with BEN MARTIN

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/m...pipe-dream-20101204-18kse.html[/COLOR][/SIZE]


I live in AU and nothing ever came of this luckily. I know a few headshop owners down here and it would of closed them down without a doubt. As the article states, people are going to buy bongs online or make them at home anyway, no point just screwing over the locals.
 
The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at the University of NSW this year reported the number of Australians seeking hospital treatment with cannabis-related problems had jumped 30 per cent since 2002.

Notice that they don't say that the number of people being treated has gone up ... only the number of people seeking treatment.

All of which means there are more dumb-asses than ever smoking pot.
 
Canberra has also changed bongs laws.still plenty of bong shops but they are no longer allowed to have them on display. They keep them in cupboards and have a catalogue of bongs on the counter and now do online sales too. Sex shops used to have large selection of bongs and pipes on display but have now been replaced with dildos. Sex shops also had the best prices by far. The local "Off ya Tree" franchise sells/displays bongs in a fancy box labeled "drink pourer" but the rest are in the cupboard behind the counter.There are no criminal charges/penalties or fines for being caught by the police with a bong in the A.C.T. like some other Aussie states.
 
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As far as I know bongs have always been illegal in the USA at least since the 90's but they just call them water pipes for tobacco use only. I learned that real quick in a head shop I called it a bong and they corrected me right away. The funniest thing was when I bought a kief box guy was telling me to use tobacco and move it back and forth. Lol, tobacco don't have no kief but they can't sell anything for weed. I almost wonder if they changed the laws in medical/recreational states cause a bong is just as bad as being caught with weed up to 1 year in jail and a $2,000 fine all it takes is a little resin they can test. I've brought them on airplanes and all I would just clean them spotless first so they couldn't say a damn thing.

Behind almost every law their is a loophole just got to learn the laws and your rights. Sucks learning the laws waste of time in a so called free country but you have to know them only reason I'm not a felon I know most everything about cops.
 
Yep! true bluntmassa. Yep call it a water pipe, A water pourer, Or a hole with-in a surface, What ever! It is exceedingly hard to make an legal argument as what constitutes a bong. :D That aside I would rather smoke a joint anyway! :D



Cheers

MSBB
 
We in the usa are all good with this, I always smoke through a bong and a pipe. I also like the steamroller-it's a cross between a pipe and a Bong. Just like a Bong, it has a hole that you close with your finger when you draw smoke into the body of the pipe. Then you open the hole and inhale, inflicting the blow. I wasn't interested before until a friend suggested reading it here https://urbanaroma.com/what-is-a-steamroller-pipe/ learn more about this. I often take it on trips because my Bong is made of glass and there is a chance to break it.
 
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