Bong ban in pipeline - Bendigo police welcome move to stop sales

BENDIGO police have welcomed a state government ban on the sale of bongs, which will come into effect at the start of next year.The sale, display and supply of bongs in Victoria will be banned from January 1 under new laws being introduced in Parliament this week.Minister for Mental Health Mary Wooldridge said the state government was addressing a long-standing contradiction in Victorian law.“While cannabis remains an illegal drug, one of the commonly used methods of consuming it – the bong – is widely available to buy,” Ms Wooldridge said.“Through making the display and sale of bongs illegal we take them out of the markets, off the shelves, and out of shop windows and stop them being seen as a normal retail item.” Victoria will be the last state in Australia to restrict their sale.Bendigo Senior Sergeant Craig Gaffee said he thought the ban was a good idea.“Illicit drugs cost the community a lot, so any laws that assist us in reducing the use of illicit drugs in the community is a good thing,” he said.“It continues to reinforce that use of cannabis is not only illegal but unhealthy.”Police will be enforcing the ban and Senior Sergeant Gaffee said he couldn’t foresee any issues with compliance.“All shop owners in Bendigo are very law abiding,” he said. In the Bendigo CBD at least two retailers sell bongs: Off Ya Tree and Mountain Gifts. Managers of both stores could not comment on the ban yesterday.But a staff member from Mountain Gifts said the shop sold “about ten” bongs a week. She said buyers had to be over 18 and the shop checked IDs.Under the new legislation there will be changes to the way hookah pipes can be sold, with a reduction in the amount of pipes that are allowed to be on display.