Florida considers tax on bongs

TALLAHASSEE - Florida is moving to put a big tax on pipes, bongs and other drug paraphernalia commonly used to smoke marijuana or crack.

Legislation is moving ahead at the state Capitol that would levy a 25-percent surtax on a variety of wooden, metal, stone or plastic pipes, as well as bongs, electric pipes and ice pipes.

The bill's sponsors say they want to reduce marijuana and illegal drug use by making it more expensive for retailers to offer the products and for customers to buy them.

Rep. Daryl Rouson says shops often sell pipes and bongs and claim the products are for just for tobacco. He hopes his legislation will put financial pressure on shops to eliminate the products from their inventory.

"Ultimately, I would like to ban them. The federal government bans the importation of these items and utensils but the state of Florida allows them to be sold once they're here," the St. Pete Democrat explained. "It seeks to bring truthfulness to the process of these guys who are retailing these, what they call tobacco pipes, but they're really marijuana pipes and crack pipes."

A Senate committee passed the bill today and sent it on to the next committee.