Drug Paraphernalia and Laws

The picture below shows various forms of drug paraphernalia. Possession of drug paraphernalia is a Class C Misdeamenor and can carry a fine up to $500.

Locally, the most commonly used paper is the Zig Zag brand. It is not illegal to possess rolling papers; however, parens who find them in their child’s possession should be concerned that their child is using marijuana.

Drug paraphernalia is any legitimate 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:

• User-specific products
• Dealer-specific products

User-specific products are marketed to drug users to assist them in taking or concealing illegal drugs. These products include certain pipes, smoking masks, bongs, cocaine freebase kits, marijuana grow kits, roach clips, and items such as hollowed out cosmetic cases or fake pagers used to conceal illegal drugs.

Dealer-specific products are used by drug traffickers for preparing illegal drugs for distribution at the street level. Items such as scales, vials, and baggies fall into this category. Drug paraphernalia does not include any items traditionally used with tobacco, like pipes and rolling papers.

Drug paraphernalia is often marketed specifically to youth—with colorful logos, celebrity pictures, and designs like smiley faces on the products—the items are meant to look harmless and mask the dangers of taking controlled substances. Other paraphernalia like magic markers can conceal pipes, and small, hand-painted blown glass items look more like pretty trinkets than pipes or stash containers. Parents need to be aware that these kinds of products often conceal drug use. For more information, go to the DEA website at dea.gov/concern/paraphernaliafact.html .

Paraphernalia Laws