Iowa would levy a new tax of at least 20% on the sale of glass and metal pipes designed for smoking tobacco and other substances, and require the retailers who sell the pipes to obtain a separate permit, under a bill the Legislature is advancing this session.
The revenue from the tax and permit fees would support specialty courts that address substance use disorder and mental health issues, according to Senate File 363. It unanimously passed the Senate and is moving through committees in the House.
Lawmakers are still determining the amount of the tax. The Senate approved taxing the popes at 40% in February but House lawmakers are now proposing to lower the tax to 20%.
The bill has the support of multiple Iowa mental health groups. But a group of Iowa smoking accessory shop owners formed a coalition to oppose the bill, saying they are being unfairly targeted and that the measure would kill some small businesses.
Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, the bill's sponsor in the Senate, has said the proposal comes amid a "proliferation" of glass pipe sales. Retailers say they sell the pipes for tobacco and incense use, but Dawson said the pipes are primarily used for drugs like methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.
Dawson said he wants to make those selling devices that can be used for drug use accountable for supporting mental health and other resources to help.
"These devices, I've said from Day One, are not being sold as glass art — that is, functionally, a lie. It is actually offensive to say it," Dawson told a House subcommittee on Tuesday. "They are being sold as paraphernalia. They're not being sold as incense burners. They're not being sold (for) tobacco."
In 2014, the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that unused glass pipes are not drug paraphernalia under Iowa law.
"As Iowa, understandably, aims to address its methamphetamine problem via a tax that is intended to directly affect a specific consumer's pocket, it will inadvertently take money from the pockets of Iowans that are not part of the problem looking to be addressed, crush small businesses and eliminate 1,000s of jobs," the online petition says.
More:Opinion: Bill to put 40% tax on functional glass art would hurt Iowa businesses like mine
At Unkl Ruckus's Smoking Emporium, which has two Des Moines locations, owner Zerron Horton said glass items in his shops range from $5 to $5,000, meaning the 20% to 40% tax could range from as low as $1 to as high as $2,000 on a single item. While his shops offer a diverse range of items, he said, he fears the legislation could ruin other shops that have a more narrow focus on the regulated items.
"There's a whole community and industry built around functional glass art, and these guys are basically trying to scapegoat them, saying they're selling these $3,000 to $4,000 artistic pieces to smoke meth out of, and that's the justification for going after them with this bill," Horton told the Des Moines Register Tuesday.
The petition last month gained more than 3,400 supporters. The group also hired a lobbyist who has registered in opposition to the legislation and begun advocating on their behalf, Horton said. Horton said he's not against imposing taxes or regulations on items that would be used for smoking meth and other illicit substances, but the bill needs work.
More at: https://www.press-citizen.com/story...-legislature-senate-house-smoking/7204272002/
The revenue from the tax and permit fees would support specialty courts that address substance use disorder and mental health issues, according to Senate File 363. It unanimously passed the Senate and is moving through committees in the House.
Lawmakers are still determining the amount of the tax. The Senate approved taxing the popes at 40% in February but House lawmakers are now proposing to lower the tax to 20%.
The bill has the support of multiple Iowa mental health groups. But a group of Iowa smoking accessory shop owners formed a coalition to oppose the bill, saying they are being unfairly targeted and that the measure would kill some small businesses.
Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, the bill's sponsor in the Senate, has said the proposal comes amid a "proliferation" of glass pipe sales. Retailers say they sell the pipes for tobacco and incense use, but Dawson said the pipes are primarily used for drugs like methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.
Dawson said he wants to make those selling devices that can be used for drug use accountable for supporting mental health and other resources to help.
"These devices, I've said from Day One, are not being sold as glass art — that is, functionally, a lie. It is actually offensive to say it," Dawson told a House subcommittee on Tuesday. "They are being sold as paraphernalia. They're not being sold as incense burners. They're not being sold (for) tobacco."
In 2014, the Iowa Court of Appeals ruled that unused glass pipes are not drug paraphernalia under Iowa law.
Shop owners: Bill would 'scapegoat' glass art
A group of Iowa business owners who sell smoking accessories contend the Legislature is grouping in items together that it shouldn't be grouped. In a Change.org petition, the shop owners wrote that the "vast majority" of glass art can't be used to smoke illicit substances like meth, and many legitimate shops don't carry devices that can."As Iowa, understandably, aims to address its methamphetamine problem via a tax that is intended to directly affect a specific consumer's pocket, it will inadvertently take money from the pockets of Iowans that are not part of the problem looking to be addressed, crush small businesses and eliminate 1,000s of jobs," the online petition says.
More:Opinion: Bill to put 40% tax on functional glass art would hurt Iowa businesses like mine
At Unkl Ruckus's Smoking Emporium, which has two Des Moines locations, owner Zerron Horton said glass items in his shops range from $5 to $5,000, meaning the 20% to 40% tax could range from as low as $1 to as high as $2,000 on a single item. While his shops offer a diverse range of items, he said, he fears the legislation could ruin other shops that have a more narrow focus on the regulated items.
"There's a whole community and industry built around functional glass art, and these guys are basically trying to scapegoat them, saying they're selling these $3,000 to $4,000 artistic pieces to smoke meth out of, and that's the justification for going after them with this bill," Horton told the Des Moines Register Tuesday.
The petition last month gained more than 3,400 supporters. The group also hired a lobbyist who has registered in opposition to the legislation and begun advocating on their behalf, Horton said. Horton said he's not against imposing taxes or regulations on items that would be used for smoking meth and other illicit substances, but the bill needs work.
Bill would charge $1,500 for permits, add criminal charge for violators
More at: https://www.press-citizen.com/story...-legislature-senate-house-smoking/7204272002/
