# Head shops will kick you out if you say the word "bong?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511 "2011-02-24T22:26:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/1 "2011-02-24T22:26:30Z")
There are five head shops – uhh, I meant _glass_ shops – within a two block walk of my workplace. Years ago, I’ve heard people say that if you’re in a head shop, and you utter the word “bong” to refer to their wares instead of using the words “pipe” or “glass”, the proprietors will get quite angry, and throw you out of the store. True? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/2 "2011-02-24T22:31:02Z")
I’ve heard that, never had it happen. Had something similar happen though. Some friends and I purchased some Nitrous Oxide Cartridges from a headshop. Just as he was handing over the money, he asked if they sell balloons. They guy handed the money back, took the cartridges off the counter and asked us to leave. Luckily, most of that stuff is all based on technicalities, so we just sent one of the other people that was sitting in the car in to buy them while we all yelled at the first guy for saying the word balloon…which we all know you don’t say, just like you don’t say bong, it’s a water pipe. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/3 "2011-02-24T22:46:22Z")
They skirt a fine line. Any hint of drug use could get them busted. Tommy Chong went to prison 9 months, for selling glass water pipes. Somehow, they made the drug connection stick. He got screwed because of his image from Cheech & Chong. > [@](#): > > Chong was charged for his part in financing and promoting Chong Glass/Nice Dreams, a company started by his son Paris. Chong’s case never went to trial; instead Chong accepted a plea agreement with the United States Attorney for Western Pennsylvania’s Office in which he admitted to distributing 7,500 bongs and water pipes on the Internet through Nice Dreams, a family company that was named for one of his movies. Chong agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute drug paraphernalia in exchange for non-prosecution of his wife, Shelby, and his son, Paris. Chong fully cooperated with the government and was the first of the Operation Pipe Dreams defendants to plead guilty.[10] > **[Tommy Chong](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_Chong#Legal_troubles)** > > Thomas B. Kin Chong (born May 24, 1938) is a Canadian and American comedian, actor, musician and activist. He is known for his role/inspiration in the marijuana industry, his marijuana-themed Cheech & Chong comedy albums and movies with Cheech Marin, and playing the character Leo on Fox's That '70s Show. He became a naturalized United States citizen in the late 1980s. > Thomas B. Kin Chong was born on May 24, 1938, in Edmonton, Alberta. His mother was a Canadian of Scottish and Irish ancestry, ... ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/4 "2011-02-24T22:57:03Z")
in the UK bongs are openly labeled as bongs. The legal position is that you might want to buy one to smoke tobacco or some other legal foliage. You’d have to be some sort of nicotine fiend if you bought one for tobacco! ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/5 "2011-02-24T23:00:20Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve heard that, never had it happen. Had something similar happen though. Some friends and I purchased some Nitrous Oxide Cartridges from a headshop. Just as he was handing over the money, he asked if they sell balloons. They guy handed the money back, took the cartridges off the counter and asked us to leave. Luckily, most of that stuff is all based on technicalities, so we just sent one of the other people that was sitting in the car in to buy them while we all yelled at the first guy for saying the word balloon…which we all know you don’t say, just like you don’t say bong, it’s a water pipe. Interesting, I wouldn’t have known a balloon would be off-limits. What ostensibly legal purpose would people be buying nitrous carts for? The couple times I’ve asked to look at, then purchased, pipes from head shops, the guy behind the counter (2 different guys in 2 different stores) made a pretty big show out of saying “this is where you put your tobacco” while explaining how to use it. I don’t mind. ---
**Author:** ![Fedup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47c2d/32.png) [@Fedup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fedup)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/6 "2011-02-24T23:05:33Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > There are five head shops – uhh, I meant _glass_ shops – within a two block walk of my workplace. Years ago, I’ve heard people say that if you’re in a head shop, and you utter the word “bong” to refer to their wares instead of using the words “pipe” or “glass”, the proprietors will get quite angry, and throw you out of the store. True? I would think it would be if they are bigger than you or not. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/7 "2011-02-24T23:21:14Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Interesting, I wouldn’t have known a balloon would be off-limits. What ostensibly legal purpose would people be buying nitrous carts for? > > The couple times I’ve asked to look at, then purchased, pipes from head shops, the guy behind the counter (2 different guys in 2 different stores) made a pretty big show out of saying “this is where you put your tobacco” while explaining how to use it. I don’t mind. They’re used for making your own [whipped cream.](http://s2.hubimg.com/u/3969365_f260.jpg) In fact, I think the head shop I used to go to kept one whipped cream maker in stock (for sale) for plausible dependability. It’s when you buy the balloons that you’re clearly not going back to the dorms 3 miles away to make whipped cream. This head shop also sold ‘tobacco’ to go with the water pipes. It was a little zip lock baggie with less then bowl full of what was probably technically real tobacco, but it looked and felt like paper to me. Never actually smoked it myself. It was just so you had something to show the cops if you got caught with it. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19adc/32.png) [@I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Am_The_Lorax)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/8 "2011-02-24T23:26:18Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > There are five head shops – uhh, I meant _glass_ shops – within a two block walk of my workplace. Years ago, I’ve heard people say that if you’re in a head shop, and you utter the word “bong” to refer to their wares instead of using the words “pipe” or “glass”, the proprietors will get quite angry, and throw you out of the store. True? You work on Hertel, huh? Honestly, I’ve been to all the head shops around here and never heard of such a rule. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/9 "2011-02-24T23:32:42Z")
It is absolutely true, in my experience. I used to…uh, spend a lot of time in these shops, the first few years when I was in college. Some of them have signs saying stuff like “these are called water pipes, and they are for tobacco.” Or “Don’t use the B-word.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/10 "2011-02-25T00:04:08Z")
The best record shop in my city also sold glassware. 😉 After 20 years the city finally harassed them enough to close. Anyone selling this stuff gets a lot of attention from the authority’s. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/11 "2011-02-25T00:10:09Z")
Ms Hook and myself were in New Orleans recently and went into just such a shop to look around. Over the case of their pipes and such like things was a sign saying something to the effect that anymention of illegal substances would get you thrown out. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/12 "2011-02-25T00:11:58Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’ve heard that, never had it happen. Had something similar happen though. Some friends and I purchased some Nitrous Oxide Cartridges from a headshop. Just as he was handing over the money, he asked if they sell balloons. They guy handed the money back, took the cartridges off the counter and asked us to leave. Luckily, most of that stuff is all based on technicalities, so we just sent one of the other people that was sitting in the car in to buy them while we all yelled at the first guy for saying the word balloon…which we all know you don’t say, just like you don’t say bong, it’s a water pipe. Is “balloon” slang for something else, or do you use balloons to get off on nitrous oxide? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/13 "2011-02-25T00:14:23Z")
Many years ago, some friends and I learned that for a particular head shop - which openly sold only stoner-like things like incense burners, funky T-shirts, jewelry, etc. - you had to ask to see the incense burner catalog. They would ask if you were sure, because they had all of the available models in stock and there wasn’t anything new/different in the catalog. If you then confirmed that yes, you did want to see the catalog, they’d take you in back and show you the bongs. We learned this because we went in asking to see bongs and got an immediate “no we don’t carry those, that’s illegal” response. I would expect from the reaction that they would have sent us packing if we persisted. Asking the friend who sent us there got a “…uh, oh yeah, here’s how you see the bongs” response, and the second visit went as expected. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/14 "2011-02-25T00:14:41Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Is “balloon” slang for something else, or do you use balloons to get off on nitrous oxide? It’s not slang. Discussion of the exact method may or may not be legal but it’s easy to google. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/15 "2011-02-25T00:17:29Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > They’re used for making your own [whipped cream.](http://s2.hubimg.com/u/3969365_f260.jpg) In fact, I think the head shop I used to go to kept one whipped cream maker in stock (for sale) for plausible dependability. It’s when you buy the balloons that you’re clearly not going back to the dorms 3 miles away to make whipped cream.. I’ve also used them to do a nitrous pour of a homebrewed stout from a [mini-keg system](http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/kegging/mini-kegs/tap-a-draft/tap-a-draft-system.html). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/16 "2011-02-25T00:30:58Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Is “balloon” slang for something else, or do you use balloons to get off on nitrous oxide? Without getting into too much detail, the nitrous comes in a [cartridge](http://www.kayahara.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Nitrous-cartridges.jpg). Typically, you’d use the thing I linked to earlier to make whipped cream with that cartridge. But what some people do is use a a homemade apparatus that punctures the top and inflates a balloon with the gas. Then you can inhale the gas from the balloon. Inhaling it directly would cause frostbite on your throat/mouth/lungs etc…and it would just enter your mouth to fast to do anything useful with that. Also, I assume you’re aware, but if your not, Nitrous Oxide is laughing gas. ETA, check your PMs. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/17 "2011-02-25T01:29:41Z")
When I was in college (mid 80s) we had one head shop in town (which also sold comic books and gaming supplies, which was why I spent a lot of time there). I don’t recall their ever having an issue with bongs (I never heard anybody refer to them as anything but “water pipes”) but they had a real thing about scales. If you even hinted that you thought that the various scales they sold were for anything but weighing letters, they got very grumpy with you. ---
**Author:** ![JFLuvly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac91a4/32.png) [@JFLuvly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JFLuvly)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/18 "2011-02-25T01:50:29Z")
Here in Canada they sell bongs, at least the one around here does and they don’t mind talking about weed or anything related. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/19 "2011-02-25T01:56:19Z")
I want to take this opportunity to give a shout out to Paramount Imports in San Jose. They’ve been around forever, and no, they don’t like people using the term “bong”. Paramount used to have the greatest blacklight/strobelight/color organ/poster room in the Bay Area. It had a kick-ass soundsystem and usually either KSAN or KSJO was blasting away. Ah, those were the days…There isn’t as much of a market for blacklight posters or color organs any more. Paramount still sells “smoking supplies”, rock ‘n’ roll paraphernalia, incense and the like, but the old blacklight room in the back is gone forever. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511/20 "2011-02-25T02:14:28Z")
I’ve wondered how the paraphernalia laws work now that medical marijuana is legalized at the state level in many places. There’s a head shop here in town that sells “tobacco” pipes (with a tiny packet of actual tobacco about a quarter the size of a postage stamp) but there’s also a medical marijuana dispensary that sells the same devices for smoking medical marijuana. Could the head shop legally sell a “bong” to someone with a medical marijuana license? Would they have to be licensed as caregivers themselves? How is it that the term “bong” is illegal anyway, but not the device? Isn’t it still a bong if it’s used for tobacco? How is calling it a bong an admission of drug use? Obviously this varies by state. I’m in Colorado (but moving to California soon) but I’d be interested in answers for any jurisdiction, since I’m just curious, not planning on opening my own head shop. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-shops-will-kick-you-out-if-you-say-the-word-bong/572511.md?page=2)