Seven Weird Drug Laws You Need To Read To Believe

Despite the fact that some drugs are illegal and not supposed to be used in the United States, laws and regulations exist to deal with those who go against these rules. These laws were put in place for a reason at the time, but some of them make no sense or seem pointless. Here are the top seven odd drug laws that will make you say, “Hmmm.”

1. You’re going to need state permission to buy that.

In Texas, anyone who wants to buy chemistry equipment must get permission from the state. This law was intended to stop the creation of methamphetamines in home laboratories and restrict the sale of basic lab equipment, including things like flasks, common chemicals, and Bunsen burners. You also can’t sell these items without state permission, so don’t get your hopes up about selling that chemistry set from class to up-and-coming students.

2. That’ll be three years.

In Florida, even a handful of pills can land you in jail. The minimum mandatory sentence for four grams of opioid painkillers, including Vicodin, is three years. The law also considers any mixture that includes the drug–if not being used according to a prescription—in the sentence, so if you squished Vicodin into your mashed potatoes for a quick dinner high, that 12 ounces of potato can cost you years of time in the slammer.

3. Pay for your own raid, already.

Ironically, in California, marijuana is taxable even though the drug isn’t even legal. Because of this, those who are paying the taxes are sending up a big flag to the police and state. In effect, those same taxes are going toward the raid on their own facilities. That’s a whole different kind of catch 22.

4. You did what I asked, so I’m arresting you.

In New York, you might get busted even if you’re following the police officer’s instructions. In the state, a small amount of marijuana found on your person won’t be cause for an arrest or even criminal charges, but if you display it by smoking it or waving it around, you can be arrested. Some police are taking it a step further by asking people to take the drugs out of their pockets and then arresting them for displaying the marijuana or weed. NYPD Chief Ray Kelly instructed his police officers to stop doing this, because it was blurring the lines of the law, but arrests for the drug still haven’t reduced by much.

5. I know it’s illegal, but at least I paid taxes.

In twenty-three states, you are legally obliged to pay taxes on any drugs you purchase. In fact, you have to report the purchase to the Department of Revenue within a certain timeline, and you have to get a stamp that indicates your tax has been paid. You don’t need to identify yourself to pay the tax, but if you’re busted with drugs and haven’t paid, you’ll end up owing the taxes and an additional fine.

6. Sorry, no PVC pipes allowed.

In the United States, no person is actually allowed to own a PVC pipe. Of course, that law is rarely, if ever, enforced. A PVC pipe is loosely defined as any item that could be drug paraphernalia, meaning anything that could be used for planting, compounding, converting, packaging, testing, or doing other things with drugs.

7. What’s a drug?

In 1977, Louisiana passed a law that prohibited the “sale, distribution, or making available to minors publications encouraging, advocating, or facilitating the illegal use of controlled dangerous substances.” You also can’t sell a magazine to a minor if it has a dominant theme of drugs in the articles. You can still advertise alcohol and tobacco, though, so there is always that to fall back on.