Middle East: Israel to Ban Bong Sales?

Israel may be about to ban bong sales. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the Knesset Law, Constitution, and Justice Committee Sunday approved a measure that bans the sale of bongs, or water pipes often used to smoke marijuana.

The proposed law would prohibit the sale and import of any drug paraphernalia, but only mentions bongs by name. Violators of the bong law would face up to five years in prison, but the committee struck a provision of the law that prohibited the possession of bongs for personal use.

The law is mainly aimed at suppressing the sale of bongs in stores close to schools. In an explanation attached to the bill, the committee said that "the sale and import of bongs has dealt a blow to the country. Smoking devices are sold in kiosks and grocery stores adjacent to schools and other places frequented by young people, and are imported into Israel in large quantities."

Israel already has a tough paraphernalia law with penalties of up to 20 years in prison. But Israeli courts have repeatedly ruled that the object in question must contain drug traces for the charge to stick, thus making it impossible to prosecute sellers or importers.

It's not a done deal yet. The proposed law awaits second and third readings before the whole Knesset.