BONGS SET FOR NATIONAL BAN

THE Howard Government is pushing for a ban on the sale of marijuana
bongs throughout Australia.

The Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Christopher Pyne,
said the Government believed the legal sale of bongs sent a tacit
signal that the Government approved the use of such drugs.

Mr Pyne's call follows a landmark report this week from former
Federal Police Commissioner Mick Palmer which found that smoking
cannabis, particularly by young people, substantially increases the
risk of mental illness and worsens existing mental health conditions.

Bongs can usually be found for sale in tobacconists and sometimes
even service stations. They feature a small bowl in which marijuana is placed.

The smoke is then inhaled through cooling water in the base of the
pipe to deliver the "hit".

There is no age limit on the sale of such drug paraphernalia,

Mr Pyne's demand for a ban follows a meeting of the National Cannabis
Strategy Group six months ago that called for "closer and more
appropriate regulation of drug paraphernalia".

He said he was concerned that the display of such equipment in shops
reduced public concern about the impact of drugs.

"I'm certainly concerned about the proliferation of apparatus for the
use of illicit substances," Mr Pyne said.

The Victorian Government banned cocaine kits earlier this year, but
ruled out a blanket ban on bongs. A government spokeswoman said there
were too many ethnic groups that used bongs to smoke tobacco and
other legal substances.

"We are happy to continue to work with the other states and Federal
Government in developing greater consistency on the sale of drug
paraphernalia as part of this government's drug enforcement and harm
minimisation strategy," the spokeswoman said.

Most shoppers at city store Off Ya Tree, which sells bongs and
smoking pipes, opposed a ban on bongs.

"No, I don't like smoking through plastic bottles," one shopper said.

"It's not going to stop anyone from smoking anyway," another said.

"They will find a more unhealthy way to smoke it."

Mr Pyne admitted it could be hard to ban bongs because they could be
used for legal purposes such as tobacco smoking.