Legality of hooka's

eltsian

Last night at my college dorm we had a smokers night outside the building. Along with the requsite cigars/tobacco pipes/etc. A RA broght down his hooka (only hooka tobacco no funny stuff). Well my RA came out and said that we had to get rid of the hooka because it's considered paraphanelia.

I had been under the assumption that as long as only hooka tobacco was used that it wouldn't be considered paraphanelia as long as only tobacco was used in it. Since every site i've seen has been pro-marijuana and didn't give much explanation on the law for non marijuana use, I thought i'd ask. is it paraphanelia?

Mmmm... Cocks...

Well, anything you can use can be peraphenalia. Just like how tobacco rolling papers - or a gutted cigar can be.

However, all my pot head friends never and have told me to never put weed in one of those crazy contraptions. And since you arn't - I don't see why he should flip.

localh77

Legally, as long as you're not putting drugs in it, I think you're fine. I don't think the law cares about paraphanelia. This is a college, though, which means they can say that pretty much anything is not allowed, regardless of whether or not it's illegal.

Chief1138

It's not illegal...but like localh77 said, that doesn't really matter...Colleges have their own sets of rules and if you want to live on campus you're expected to abide by them

Mmmm... Cocks...

localh77 wrote: »

Legally, as long as you're not putting drugs in it, I think you're fine. I don't think the law cares about paraphanelia. This is a college, though, which means they can say that pretty much anything is not allowed, regardless of whether or not it's illegal.

That's true, but the fact that they're using other tobacco products and stuff all together I don't see why they should single it out.

But they can make whatever crazy rules they want, your right.

elcid1390

I suppose it depends on where you are. I myself am a big fan of hookahs (and a criminal justice student as well) and have never had any legal trouble vis a vis paraphanelia(sp?). Actually, a pot pipe isn't paraphanelia until you smoke pot with it. That's how they get away with selling them. As far as I know, a hookah isn't (legally) paraphenailia until you smoke pot with it. That said, a lot of colleges have grotesquely restrictive definitions of same. Stuff that anyone over the age of 18 is legally allowed to own can get you into trouble on a campus. To wit, the cops can't call it paraphenailia as long as your smoking shishah (hookah tobacco) out of it, but your RA can because the campus defines it as such. You won't go to jail, but it will get you in trouble on campus, possibly jeopordizing you ability to get into on campus housing at a later date. As an example, my freshmen year a guy with that poster of Bob Marley smoking pot got "written up" because it was "paraphenailia", according to the powers-that-be on campus. They also may have broader prohibitions about smoking on campus that they'll fuck you with.

crake

An apple is paraphernalia for the poor and desperate pot-head.

It's probably not about the legality in your location, but the rules of the college. If they don't want hookas, then you can't have hookas.

Al_wat

Anyone who calls a hooka drug paraphernalia is ignorant.

I mean... you CAN use it for smoking pot. But its dumb. A hooka =/= a bong although they are very similar.

Malkor

I love shisha.

mcp

You're fine.

Hell, there are a number of hookah bars around here.

Edit: Oh. Yeah, if it's a college rule it doesn't matter. They're not illegal, however.

Sentry

Go talk to your Resident Director (i.e. the RA's boss)... hookah's look like bongs to the uninformed... my RA's had a hookah night here with my permission, even brought in a guy from a Hookah bar so people could try it out. Of course, those things are pretty terrible for you, but nothing that should be confiscated. Again, talk to your RD.

FyreWulff

Al_wat wrote: »

Anyone who calls a hooka drug paraphernalia is ignorant.

I mean... you CAN use it for smoking pot. But its dumb. A hooka =/= a bong although they are very similar.

Anything that can be used for drugs can be considered paraphenilia.

However, it doesn't matter if it's legal or not - you're on private property, and whatever the college says, goes. If they were to ban smoking (cigarettes,cigars) and drinking, you'd have to abide by it aswell.

Sarcastro

It might be worth a shot to simply inform whomever that it is not paraphernalia, but abide by the decision, whatever that may be.

I can certainly understand them not giving a damn about the reality of things, since as we all know it is only* the perception of things that ends up mattering.




*mostly.

clsCorwin

I brought one back with me from Iraq, and I had no problems with it through US customs, nor any sort of military personnel. You should be fine.

Unknown

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planters

Malkor wrote: »

I love shisha.

True name for "hookah" and no they're not illegal it's only conisdered paraphernalia if you actually have illegal stuff on you, and I speak from unpleasent experiences.

HiredGun

This has happened to friends of mine. On the spot, you should comply with whoever is telling you to put it away, but you should go over that person's head - to the Hall Director / Residence Director or other people in Student Affairs - and get it cleared up. My friend was able to secure the right to use his shisha on campus this way.

EggyToast

The *university* hasn't said anything. A single RA said it was paraphernalia. And that RA was wrong. If you want to use it, take it over that person's head and ask them to nicely tell their RAs that hookahs are no worse than cigarettes or cigars, and are not used for marijuana.

There's a lot of misunderstanding out there. There was a guy at my work who laughed at hookas saying "you'd think they wouldn't put that stuff out on display." Another coworker, a smoker, said "why not? you only put tobacco in there. I've tried them and they're pretty good." The original guy kind of chuckled a "yeah right..." Some people are idiots and don't know that hookahs even exist or what they're for, or that they're obviously for illegal drugs.

If you really want to use it, or you want to know the truth, talk to the actual housing people about their smoking policies.

eltsian

Alright cool it's not paraphanelia until pot is smoked out of it. The person who brought the hookah was an RA from a different floor so the one against it kinda cancelled each out. But yeah I can see how if it was some random student where it could be kinda iffy. Thanks guys.

Fantasma

Even in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland the hooka is used, it is just a device for smoking.