# Things that are illegal in one state/subjurisdiction but contraband in another part of the country **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851 "2012-02-24T16:29:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/21 "2012-02-24T19:17:10Z")
I think your title isn’t conveying your intent accurately. Also, on this note: > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Certain pets, e.g. gerbils, sugar gliders, and ferrets in California. Quaker (aka Monk) Parrots, because they’re able to survive in the wild and are presumed to be a potential invasive species. Several dog breeds – American Staffordshire Terriers, American Pit Bull terriers, and Staffordshire Bull Terriers are all considered “pit bulls,” but most breed-specific legislation has been written more broadly and covers Boxers, American Bulldogs, Dogo Argentinos (or should that be Dogos Argentino?) and even Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers. Even more depressingly, in many cases the laws are written to allow authorities to seize _any_ dog that _looks_ like one of the banned breeds – and “looks like” is determined by the authorities in question, even superseding a veterinarian’s testimony. This is apparently a deliberate provision, to thwart sympathetic vets who might be imagined to be harboring a Schindler’s List of pit bulls. Among other things, Lab/Boxer mixes are famously difficult to distinguish from American Pit Bull Terriers. ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/22 "2012-02-24T20:34:37Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Other than firearms and medical marijuana, what are some things that are illegal in one state, province, city, county, town, etc. to the extent that possession of the item is substantially illegal/contraband, but are legal generally in another jurisdiction of the same country? Ohio has DEcriminalized MJ under 100 grams, but any Municipality under our Home Rule authority can still criminalize it, that is, jail time. So even INTRA state, we can have different laws. Some states only require one license plate, so driving in a state which requires 2 is still legal , but you never know what some clown cop will do, as with the tinted window example above. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/23 "2012-02-24T21:17:44Z")
In NJ, one can’t carry a container of pepper spray meant to hold more than three-quarters of an ounce. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2012, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/24 "2012-02-24T21:24:26Z")
> [@Saltire](#): > > Is Coors beer still in this category, à la _Smokey and the Bandit_? It wasn’t illegal to possess Coors beer in certain states; it was illegal to distribute it to certain states for sale. This is true for many beers today. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/25 "2012-02-25T01:51:17Z")
Lack of a front licence plate. Fireworks are (were?) legal in Lakewood, CA but not Long Beach. LBPD would sit right out the city line kitty-corner from a Lakewood fireworks stand. If you pulled out and went right you were same but if you turned left you were popped. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/26 "2012-02-25T02:46:41Z")
A mistress A prostitute Bullet proof vest Flash paper 190 proof everclear Slot machines ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/27 "2012-02-25T03:29:44Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Lack of a front licence plate. > > Fireworks are (were?) legal in Lakewood, CA but not Long Beach. LBPD would sit right out the city line kitty-corner from a Lakewood fireworks stand. If you pulled out and went right you were same but if you turned left you were popped. We have the same thing in Fresno, CA, city has restrictions but county does not…however there are little unincorporated islands of county of fresno, inside the city limits of fresno. People will set up fireworks stands on those islands and sell sell sell. Fire investigators will randomly follow folk and bust them when they drive into the city limits unless they show id that puts them living in a county area. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/28 "2012-02-25T03:35:41Z")
> [@pravnik](#): > > What constitutes an illegal knife for carrying seems to vary a great deal from state to state. I recall an article discussing that this can vary significantly between even smaller units – counties and cities and such. A buddy who went to Texas A&M said that you could get a “bootlegging ticket” if you had more than a certain amount of alcohol on you in a county around there. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/29 "2012-02-25T05:36:53Z")
I can’t find any good cites, but it’s my understanding that poppers (amyl nitrite and the like) are legal in most of the US, but illegal here in Massachusetts. I’ve heard John Waters describe signs to this effect at the Provincetown airport, for example. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/30 "2012-02-25T05:42:54Z")
Lab glassware is apparently illegal to possess in Texas with a permit, however you can find stores including national chains selling it openly in Texas.😕 Probably one of those selective enforcement deals. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/31 "2012-02-25T05:53:31Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > A mistress … I would have thought that, after [Lawrence v. Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_v._Texas), possession of a mistress would be legal everywhere in the U.S. It would be very odd if states could not ban lovers of the same sex, but could ban lovers of different sexes. ---
**Author:** ![runcible\_spoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc29f/32.png) [@runcible\_spoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/runcible_spoon)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/32 "2012-02-25T16:53:28Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I would have thought that, after [Lawrence v. Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_v._Texas), possession of a mistress would be legal everywhere in the U.S. It would be very odd if states could not ban lovers of the same sex, but could ban lovers of different sexes. I’m pretty sure possession of humans is illegal in all 50 states 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/33 "2012-02-25T21:47:28Z")
> [@runcible\_spoon](#): > > I’m pretty sure possession of humans is illegal in all 50 states 😃 Ownership of humans is illegal, but in the law ownership and possession are different. ---
**Author:** ![lawbuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@lawbuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawbuff)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/34 "2012-02-25T22:02:54Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > I would have thought that, after [Lawrence v. Texas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_v._Texas), possession of a mistress would be legal everywhere in the U.S. It would be very odd if states could not ban lovers of the same sex, but could ban lovers of different sexes. Adultery is still illegal in a few states. Prosecution of a deseutude law may be hard though. Criminal conversation, as it is termed, and alienation of affection, are still alive as Torts in some states also, Hart balm actions. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/35 "2012-02-26T19:11:25Z")
> [@lawbuff](#): > > Adultery is still illegal in a few states. Prosecution of a deseutude law may be hard though. > > Criminal conversation, as it is termed, and alienation of affection, are still alive as Torts in some states also, Hart balm actions. Interesting, but this is not really what I was after. I’m more thinking about physical objects that could, for example be legally purchased and possessed openly in, say, Chicago, but if Indiana police see you carrying it across the state line or if they catch you with it at a traffic stop in Indiana or something, then, well, remember not to drop the soap! ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2012, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/36 "2012-02-26T23:02:11Z")
**Things that are illegal in one state/subjurisdiction but contraband in another part of the country** How does this work? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/37 "2012-02-27T00:26:59Z")
I seem to recall hearing about how someplaces flashlights over a certain length were considered “batons” and thus illegal to carry, but googling isn’t turning up anything too concrete so it might be an urban myth (not doubting that actually hitting someone with a flashlight might cause it to be considered a baton and get some extra charges over just smacking them with your fist, but simply carrying doesn’t seem to be an offense). ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/38 "2012-02-28T13:56:39Z")
While back Discovery ran a docu about a machinist who made counterfeit casino tokens. He and his wife would sneak them into the casino, play for a while, then cash out (more than they spent obviously). His tokens were so perfect that the casinos could not detect the tokens themselves, but instead had to just keep a watch out for him. They eventually were on his trail and knew he was making them in his basement. But they realized because he lived in Conn (ha passed them in Atlantic City, NJ) they couldn’t arrest him there because neither possessing nor even manufacturing counterfeit gambling tokens is a crime in Connecticut. He got too greedy and they eventually caught him in the casino red-handed. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/39 "2012-02-28T14:22:02Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > While back Discovery ran a docu about a machinist who made counterfeit casino tokens. He and his wife would sneak them into the casino, play for a while, then cash out (more than they spent obviously). His tokens were so perfect that the casinos could not detect the tokens themselves, but instead had to just keep a watch out for him. They eventually were on his trail and knew he was making them in his basement. But they realized because he lived in Conn (ha passed them in Atlantic City, NJ) they couldn’t arrest him there because neither possessing nor even manufacturing counterfeit gambling tokens is a crime in Connecticut. > > He got too greedy and they eventually caught him in the casino red-handed. If you’re thinking of [Louis “The Coin” Colavecchio](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Colavecchio), he was a resident of Rhode Island. Given the presence of Foxwoods, I’d be surprised to learn that manufacturing counterfeit gambling tokens is not a crime in Connecticut. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851/40 "2012-02-28T16:51:03Z")
Texas still has an obscenity statute on the books that makes dildos and vibrators illegal. Technically it only bans the sale of such items but a subdivision of the statute allows law enforcement to presume that six or more are intended for sale. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-illegal-in-one-state-subjurisdiction-but-contraband-in-another-part-of-the-country/613851.md?page=3)