Getting caught with more than four ounces of dirty bong water in Minnesota used to be a potential cause for serious criminal prosecution, but those days are now a thing of the past.
Despite recreational cannabis being legal in the state, the disgusting liquid substance was formerly illegal if the bong it came from was used to smoke crystal meth, crack or other illicit drugs. The sludge was considered to be equivalent to the pure uncut version of whatever substance passed through it.
Having it in your possession could have resulted in a first degree felony, up to 30 years in jail or massive fines up to US$1 million. A local lawyer highlighted the ridiculousness of it earlier this year.
“Counting dirty bong water as pure drugs is like counting a beer bottle full of backwash and cigarette butts as 80-proof whiskey,” said Bruce Ringstrom Jr.
Now, junkies only need to worry about getting busted with actual substances, not just residue from their greasy paraphernalia.
State Governor Tim Walz just signed the measure into law after Minnesota lawmakers gave the bill their assent.
HF 2432 specifies that “a mixture [of drugs] does not include the fluid used in a water pipe or any amount of a controlled substance that is dissolved in the pipe’s fluid.” Before the new provision, bong water had been considered a controlled substance in the state since 2009.
Minnestota Governor Tim Walz signed a judiciary and public safety bill that has ended criminal penalties for bong water. Previously, quantities of bong water greater than four ounces could be considered legally equal to the pure version of whatever substance the bong had been… pic.twitter.com/srB0aCxZQh
— Last Prisoner Project (@lastprisonerprj) May 28, 2025
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But how does bong water stand in other states?
It remains illegal under the federal Controlled Substances Act along with any other illicit drug paraphernalia.
In states where recreational cannabis is legal the likelihood of getting prosecuted for having bong water in your possession is significantly slimmer. Nonetheless, it could still be problematic if the residue in the glass, plastic or silicon clearly came from a harder drug.
In California for instance, getting busted with bong water that tests positive for meth or cocaine could result in up to six months in prison.
Throughout states where only medical marijuana has been legalized, it may be best for smokers without prescriptions to avoid transporting their dab rigs and the like anywhere that may draw unwanted attention.
Minnesota is the only state to have explicitly decriminalized bong juice.
Read more: Curaleaf’s vaporizer receives medical device designation in the European Union
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