# So I got this phat ass 4ft. bong. . . **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 20, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189 "2003-06-20T15:30:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/21 "2003-06-20T20:11:48Z")
The police searched my 16 year olds room and found a piece of aluminum foil rolled up to form a pipe and he was arrested for drug paraphenlia. They confiscated the tin foil. It was small. I never knew you could smoke pot like that until he got busted. ---
**Author:** ![tramp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tramp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tramp)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/22 "2003-06-20T20:12:45Z")
The best part about Mrs. Butterbong was that they made her during high school shop class when the teacher wasn’t paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/23 "2003-06-20T20:17:56Z")
\*\* Isabelle\*\*: why was his room searched in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/24 "2003-06-20T20:28:02Z")
I just realized how rude that was. Feel free to ignore it if you wish. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/25 "2003-06-20T20:46:18Z")
I’ve made a bong from all manner of fruits, soda containers, wood slabs, foil, ratchet sets…you name it. FYI - clearing a 4 foot bong isn’t necessarily easy, but very possible when done correctly. My brother used to have a bong we called “The Indoctrinator” which was about 6 feet tall and took 2 people to operate. The trick is to fill the chamber, exhale the air you inhaled, then take in the dark orangy goodness to capacity. This usually resulted in explosive rejection, but once you get the hang of it you’re quite stoned after one or two pulls. We’d also fill the long tube with ice which really cooled the smoke down over its 5 foot length. This has the effect of allowing you to inhale more smoke, in turn producing a better, more efficient high. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/26 "2003-06-20T20:51:51Z")
He got arrested for sneaking my car out while I was sleeping. He doesn’t have a lisence to drive. They found “a” (one) marijuana leaf on the front seat of the car and that gave them reason to search his bedroom. (He got caught pulling into the driveway) So they searched the room and found this little homemade pipe of aluminum foil and confiscated it. They also took a lighter they found. His punishment? Suspended drivers liscense for 6 months, 4 courses he has to take which total $350 and probation until he is 19 years old. Part of his probation is the cops come to the house to check his curfew. They are required to search his room once a month and they make him take drug tests (they watch him) ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/27 "2003-06-20T21:13:17Z")
FYI for anyone who wants to know, there called foilies. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/28 "2003-06-20T21:15:20Z")
doesn’t sound like much fun… I had a friend that had gotten caught for some things… he had 6 months probation and random drug tests… there wasn’t the constant room-searching though… I had the sense to not do that sort of thing at school 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/29 "2003-06-20T21:41:48Z")
I’ll apologize in advance for a long-winded post 😉 FWIW, I’ve seen MUCH more creative things than plastic bottles, aluminum foil, and soda cans used as pipes during my time as a forensic drug chemist. I have to ask ParentalAdvisory and others why you would want to tempt fate by using what you obviously know as drug paraphernalia to smoke tobacco? Built into my state’s drug law, and I imagine others, is a clause that anything that has been used in processing, manufacturing (including growing), using, etc. of controlled substances can and will be seized by the government and you won’t get it back. I know you probably think that’s extreme, but (at least here) it’s the law and if you don’t like it, write to your congressman to try to get it changed. The [Federal Controlled Substances Act](http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/pubs/csa.html) defines paraphernalia as follows: > [@](#): > > The term “drug paraphernalia” means any equipment, product, or material of any kind which is primarily intended or designed for use in manufacturing, compounding, converting, concealing, producing, processing, preparing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance, possession of which is unlawful under the Controlled Substances Act (title II of Public Law 91-513). It includes items primarily intended or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marijuana, cocaine, hashish, hashish oil, PCP, or amphetamines into the human body… and goes on to list examples. It also goes on to say > [@](#): > > In determining whether an item constitutes drug paraphernalia, in addition to all other logically relevant factors, the following may be considered: > 1.instructions, oral or written, provided with the item concerning its use; > > 2.descriptive materials accompanying the item which explain or depict its use; > > 3.national and local advertising concerning its use; > > 4.the manner in which the item is displayed for sale; > > 5.whether the owner, or anyone in control of the item, is a legitimate supplier of like or related items to the community, such as a licensed distributor or dealer of tobacco products; > > 6.direct or circumstantial evidence of the ratio of sales of the item(s) to the total sales of the business enterprise; > > 7.the existence and scope of legitimate uses of the item in the community; and > > 8.expert testimony concerning its use. Notable exemptions: the law doesn’t apply to: > [@](#): > > any item that, in the normal lawful course of business, is imported, exported, transported, or sold through the mail or by any other means, and traditionally intended for use with tobacco products, including any pipe, paper, or accessory In my state, the state drug laws are worded similarly. The surest way for the state to win a conviction for drug paraphernalia violations is for a scientist like me to determine that there is residue of a controlled substance in the pipe or other device. From my own personal analytical experience, no matter how well you think you cleaned out your pipe, there is probably something left in there that will incriminate you. ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/30 "2003-06-20T21:48:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kalhoun \* > \*\*Hookay. This is a sad-but-true story. My son’s dad died about eight years ago. He knew he was dying and asked a friend to do a Native American service for him (which was really nice, as services go). The boys smoked some sort of ceremonial pipe loaded with tobacco that was a direct descendent of Sitting Bull’s tobacco (so I was told). The guy that did the ceremony gave the pipe to my son. Some time later, my son used the pipe for smoking pot. He got busted and they confiscated the pipe permanently because pot had been smoked in it. A little extreme, don’t you think? \*\* Sorry if you find this rude, but the law is the law… and if your son was so attached to the pipe, why did he do something as stupid as use it for an illegal activity? Heck, I wouldn’t use an heirloom rifle to go kill someone… ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/31 "2003-06-20T22:08:00Z")
In my younger year I’ve been known to partake of the weed. All I can say is as **Bongmaster** eluded to, smoking out of an array of fruits and vegetables is a fine practice. But you haven’t lived till you’ve sat on a moon lite beach with your closest friends and philosophizing about life, and smoking some nice hawaiian dank out of a god given coconut. Water already included in that sweet little package. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/32 "2003-06-20T23:45:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kunoichi \* > \*\*The surest way for the state to win a conviction for drug paraphernalia violations is for a scientist like me to determine that there is residue of a controlled substance in the pipe or other device. From my own personal analytical experience, no matter how well you think you cleaned out your pipe, there is probably something left in there that will incriminate you. \*\* Examining apples and bits of aluminum foil for residue of a plant that’s [less harmful](http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/marijuana/) than alcohol or tobacco… It’s nice to know that that $500 check I wrote to the IRS in April is going to a good place. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189/33 "2003-06-21T01:27:47Z")
This was a question of what the law says, which is generally permitted. I think the factual question has been answered, so I’ll close this thread. For those of you who feel compelled to post about all the great ways to make drug paraphernalia at home: don’t. We do not permit posting of advice on how to break the law, or of encouragements to break the law. bibliophage moderator GQ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-got-this-phat-ass-4ft-bong/183189.md?page=1)