Ex-crackhead Rep. Darryl Rouson, who sponsored the bill that eventually became the "bong ban" law on Monday, is unhappy about how watered down it turned out to be, when all was said and done.
Rouson believes that The Pot is a gateway drug to things like The Crack. Therefore, he worked diligently for years on a bill he hoped would ban all bongs, glass bowls, roach clips, and other things that can be used as a marijuana smoking device. But the final bill basically says that head shops can sell the devices, as long as they're for tobacco only, thus creating the raddest loophole ever, man.
See also: Five Things You Need to Know About the Florida Bong Ban
"If we can make people drive to Georgia and Alabama and South Carolina to get fireworks, they can drive to get these utensils of death," he told New Times back in March.
Rouson believes that the "Florida Smoke Shops Association" used their instruments of death money to pay lobbyists $100,000 to create the loophole.
We're not sure what Rouson was hoping would happen with the bill. Of course, there are always going to be other UTENSILS OF DEATH in which to smoke weed. And how exactly did Rouson expect to have the law policed, if it had passed as he wanted it?
The main problem with the bill from the get-go, was that it would have screwed with local businesses that sell bongs and pipes. Hence the evil lobbyists coming forth to rescue actual, legal, profit-turning businesses.
It was Rouson's bill that actually helped create the Florida Smoke Shops Association, kind of like how the guy that shot Uncle Ben helped create Spider-Man!
In his fevered and misguided attempt to basically force business out of business, Rouson inadvertently created a monster that will fight him any time he tries to re-hash his version of the bill.
The bottom line is that pot is illegal in Florida, anyway. Head shops sell pipes. That's it.
The fact that medical patients can't even buy marijuana for genuine medicinal purposes in this state is screwing with Floridians enough. No need to try and overkill by screwing with local businesses too.
Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
Follow @NewTimesBroward
