NEWS: Bongs set for national ban

[my innerself]

I always hated store bought bongs... I grew up on homemade plastic bottles and hoses and can never go back.

If they stopped selling cone-pieces though, I would flip.

You couldn't have put it better. My favourite was the old Orange orchy bottles, and the best thing about is that when it got too dirty you just rip out the stem (garden hose of course) and make a new one. Not selling bongs wont stop anyone from smoking pot, theres a zillion other ways to blaze up, there just trying to be a pain in the ass.

 

[(Wordy)]

I mean, clean syringes and injecting equipment are cheaply and readily available in this country. How are pot smokers any different to injectors? They both have the right to consume their drugs with the least harm to their bodies. Taking away anybody's right to protect their health is just plain disgusting.

Exactly! This is an utterly ridiculous proposal.

Christopher Pyne clearly comes from the 'keeping up appearances' school of drug policy. I can't imagine he'll get his way in this case, but I can envisage a compromise situation where bongs and pipes could be sold, but not openly displayed. Which of course, would be a significant victory in the war on drugs! 8)

 

[phase_dancer]

Bongs stop a large percent of two main cancer-causing chemicals which I can't find via searching at this time,...

Acrolein and acetaldehyde can be absorbed by the water as they are quite soluble. Both are nasty irritants and acrolein is listed as a possible carcinogen.

However, the nastiest, most carcinogenic chemicals, such as benzopyrenes, are not absorbed by the water.

I used to think bongs were a better alternative to smoking joints. Now I'm not so sure. Other factors such as the way the smoke is inhaled may result in additional health problems (note: observation based only, again, I know of no research done in this area)

Different bong designs may make certain problems worse. Think about the way your lungs are working when inhaling on a blocked bong, or one with multiple chambers. The diaphragm must work rather hard, in a fairly unnatural way. A common ailment with a few older long term bong users seems to be stomach related problems, particularly hiatus hernia. When I developed this condition a few years ago I asked my GP about it being associated with the "hubbly bubbly" as he calls it (He was once a chief medic for the United Arab Emirates). At the time he said he didn't think there was any connection between the hubbly bubbly with the condition. However, the next time I went back, he said after he'd thought about it there were several of his patient with this condition who also smoked cannabis. Perhaps this should be another area that could be researched.

If the government wants a successful deterrent, then let it fund the research.

Only let it be organised by a body that guarantees the release of findings; unlike the Intergovernmental Committee on Drugs (IGCD) and the Ministerial Council on Drug strategy (MCDS) who have refused to release reports concerning areas of drug policy and recommendations made by experts. Reasons given for refusing to publicly release these documents are pathetic to say the least and do nothing towards truthfully informing and protecting the public. It seems to me such findings are only ever made public if such recommendations are conducive towards supporting their absolute prohibitionist based directive.


“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.” - Galileo Galilei

 

[mrephedrine69]

Spring Valley bottle bongs FTW!

 

[who_can_say]

Glass pipes for crystal smoking at technically illegal in NSW, and the only reason that came about was because some high up police dude walked through Kings Cross one day and saw them all on sale and was offended by them. He said that in a meeting with my boss and my boss went "So I take it you're not offended by ash trays in the shape of a clit?" and suddenly the topic was changed.

Will be interesting to whether they start enforcing all these bans. So far they haven't enforced the crystal pipe one; still selling them in *location removed*

[EDIT: Please don't post locations where glass pipes can be purchased. Thanks. hoptis]

 

[who_can_say]

^ oops sorry my bad

 

[lil angel15]

Ice pipes, bong components banned
By Roberta Mancuso
February 05, 2007 04:53pm

SHOPS that sell pipes used to smoke the drug known as ice will face penalties of up to $10,500 under new Queensland laws banning the utensils.

Premier Peter Beattie today said Cabinet approved amendments to the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act 1998 which will also close a loophole that had allowed retailers to sell separate parts of cannabis utensils such as "bongs".

The laws will be introduced to state Parliament this week.

Mr Beattie said the ban on ice pipes was part of his Government's "ice-breaker strategy" and ice taskforce, which was announced late last year.

"We are doing everything in our power to remove this killer drug off our streets through a number of measures including new legislation," Mr Beattie said.

"Ice or crystal meth is fast becoming the drug of choice among a growing number of people from different backgrounds. It is highly addictive, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly."

A 2004 household survey estimated more than 95,000 Queenslanders had used methamphetamines, such as ice, in the previous 12 months.

More than 278,000 Queenslanders had at least tried the drug, which causes serious short and long-term physical and mental harm.

Health Minister Stephen Robertson said more than 500 Queensland outlets such as tobacconists and novelty shops sold utensils solely used to smoke ice such as glass pipes.

He said under the legislation retailers who sell, supply or display an ice pipe would be liable for a $300 on-the-spot fine or a maximum court fine of $10,500.

Information will be distributed to retailers about the new laws, informing them that pipes should be immediately removed from display and sale.

A statewide education campaign warning about the danger of the drug will follow.

"The first phase will target universities during orientation week this month and other tertiary education institutions," Mr Robertson said.

News.com.au

 

[person]

Oh well, at least it isnt $15,000 like here. They still sell everywhere though, I think shop keepers plead ignorance, cos the $15,000 per crack pipe doesnt exist to them, and its making alot of money, more than selling cigarettes and bongs, people dont like the zest of a lightbulb anymore 8)

 

[ayjay]

Here's an old study from CaNORML...

The California NORML/MAPS Smoking Device Study

[Article by Dale Gieringer printed in MAPS Newsletter, 1996; revised Nov., 1999]

Contrary to popular impression, waterpipes don't necessarily protect smokers from harmful tars in marijuana smoke, according to a study sponsored by California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) and MAPS (Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies). The reason is that waterpipes filter out proportionately more psychoactive THC than they do other tars, thereby requiring users to smoke more to reach their desired high. The study does not rule out the possibility that waterpipes could have other benefits, such as filtering out noxious gases, but it suggests that other methods, such as the use of high potency pot, vaporizers, or oral ingestion, are needed to avoid harmful toxins in marijuana smoke.

rest here: http://www.canorml.org/healthfacts/smokestudy.html

In this study, an unfiltered joint outperforms nearly everything else! There is a mention of an Australian study - but I've not seen it.

P_D - I once had a flat mate pull a muscle in her back trying to clear a blocked cone with a mighty suck. She was a bong machine - ripped down about 30 a day with brute determination. We did laugh when she did her back in...

 

[Chronik Fatigue]

The Victorian Government banned cocaine kits earlier this year, but ruled out a blanket ban on bongs. A government spokeswoman said there were too many ethnic groups that used bongs to smoke tobacco and other legal substances.

C_D, i think thats the main reason why Pyne wont get his way.....

Except that the Federal government doesn't give a stuff for minority group, they are not dependant on Turkish votes like Bracks is.

 

[phase_dancer]

P_D - I once had a flat mate pull a muscle in her back trying to clear a blocked cone with a mighty suck.

Ouch! I've often thought those double chamber bongs would make a regular user more susceptible to pulling muscles.

I'm sure some of the more serious bong pullers could find part time work as a vacuum pump

 

[bustabraincell]

one thing that wasnt mentioned here is that plastic cones, and the 'can cones'are disposable, can throw them away when finised with, and therefore no evidence, for cops or kids...

 

[ostrich]

I think that regardless of what ridiculous laws the politicians pass, it's down to the public servant to enforce it, and good luck on getting a police officer to bother with getting someone in the shit for carrying a bong... they don't seem to give a shit about much short of violent crimes, in NSW at least.

 

[jazzmonkey]

bongs in Queensland are illegal.

Since 1 January 2005, a person must not produce, sell or publicly display a cannabis utensil. A cannabis utensil means an object for smoking cannabis, commonly known as a “bong.” All product displays and sales of “bongs” in Queensland are illegal.

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/atods/tobaccolaws/retail/cannabis.asp

 

[Splatt]

Actually it still has to be passed I think.

You can blame a certain bong shop at schoolies for this law by the way, for selling bongs and crackies to underaged kids.

 

[peaked]

I hope they dont consider banning bongs down here in SA. An entirely pyrex billy produces a vastly superior taste to that of a brass/plastic homemade setup. That said though, not all store bought bongs work particularly well. In my experience, bongs with a round "bubble" shape near the bottom of the stem generally require more lung capacity to sink, and the smoke takes a long time to be inhaled, possibly due to poor airflow.

The better designs are ones that either stay at a fixed diameter (like a tube) or go from a wider size to a smaller size (like a conical flask). In my opinion these types of bongs will be "sink-able" with very gentle inhalation, as opposed to that which leaves people red in the face from sucking so hard (not to mention wasting half the weed in the process because it got pulled thru instead of being burnt).

I do still use a homemade billy for most of my smoking though. The reason being that I can just throw away the bottle when it gets dirty. A glass bong can become quite a chore to keep clean. I improvise by having a glass stem and cone, but a plastic bottle as the main chamber (like in this pic). In theory this seems like it should be a fairly safe compromise, as the smoke will be cool by the time it reaches the plastic, leaving less of a chance for anything unwanted to be vapourized. Smaller bongs also require alot less effort to smoke .... which most regular smokers would probably find convenient

 

[Thoughtcrime]

Personally I've grown up on homemade bongs (my favorite is a geforce bottle or a powerade bottle) with a store bought stem and cone peice, the joy of this is that you can just discard the chamber when it gets to festy and make a new one, plus if your going camping or something like that you just take your stem and make a new one on site.
As for banning bongs, it's ridiculous, the main reason being what has been said before, the government cannot prove that people are not buying these devices for tobbacco usage

 

[IXinX]

Lipton ice tea bottles for me

I'm not a fan of ceramic/blown glass smoking implements for weed.
Neither do i like hose.
A store bought cone piece and stem in the empty bottle of choice works great imho

ps, never ever scrape the resin from in the inside of your hose to smoke.
you will be smoking bits of hose.

i like peaked's post, intelligent thought-out smoker's insight there.
I'll have what he's having

 

[lil angel15]

National plan may ban bongs
May 16, 2007 - 11:54AM

The commonwealth and states will consider banning equipment used to smoke cannabis such as bongs, says a federal government source.

The plan was discussed at a ministerial council on drugs strategy meeting on Wednesday in Adelaide, and is expected to be revealed at a press conference.

The states have agreed that the federal government should write a proposal to either regulate or ban the display, sale and importation of the drug paraphernalia.

The proposal will be considered at a later meeting.

"It's quite significant because there has been quite a proliferation of these shops around Australia that sell equipment that's being used for the inhalation of cannabis," the source said.

SMH

 

[Doooofus]

I don't understand this... banning bongs is not in any way going to affect whether people are going to smoke cannabis or not. Those that don't really care how they get high will simply roll a joint or buy a pipe - those that like bongs will make their own, or do buckets instead. All this is doing is increasing the risk of damage to the health of those that do like to smoke bongs.