H-0161.1  _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 1112

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Bush, Casada, Morell, Campbell, Delvin, Anderson, Cox, Roach and Boldt

 

Read first time .  Referred to Committee on .

Setting penalties for infractions involving drug paraphernalia.


    AN ACT Relating to penalties for the sale or gift of drug paraphernalia; amending RCW 69.50.4121 and 7.80.120; and prescribing penalties.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 69.50.4121 and 1998 c 317 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Every person who sells or gives, or permits to be sold or given to any person any drug paraphernalia in any form commits a class I civil infraction under chapter 7.80 RCW.  For purposes of this subsection, "drug paraphernalia" means all equipment, products, and materials of any kind which are used, intended for use, or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance.  Drug paraphernalia includes, but is not limited to objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing marihuana, cocaine, hashish, or hashish oil into the human body, such as:

    (a) Metal, wooden, acrylic, glass, stone, plastic, or ceramic pipes with or without screens, permanent screens, hashish heads, or punctured metal bowls;

    (b) Water pipes;

    (c) Carburetion tubes and devices;

    (d) Smoking and carburetion masks;

    (e) Roach clips:  Meaning objects used to hold burning material, such as a marihuana cigarette, that has become too small or too short to be held in the hand;

    (f) Miniature cocaine spoons and cocaine vials;

    (g) Chamber pipes;

    (h) Carburetor pipes;

    (i) Electric pipes;

    (j) Air-driven pipes;

    (k) Chillums;

    (l) Bongs; and

    (m) Ice pipes or chillers.

    (2) It shall be no defense to a prosecution for a violation of this section that the person acted, or was believed by the defendant to act, as agent or representative of another.

    (3) Nothing in subsection (1) of this section prohibits legal distribution of injection syringe equipment through public health and community based HIV prevention programs.

    (4) The civil penalty imposed for violations of subsection (1) of this section may not exceed the following:

    (a) A monetary penalty of two hundred fifty dollars for the first violation within a two-year period.

    (b) A monetary penalty of five hundred dollars for the second violation within a two-year period.

    (c) A monetary penalty of seven hundred fifty dollars for the third violation within a two-year period.

    (d) A monetary penalty of one thousand dollars for the fourth and each subsequent violation within a two-year period.

 

    Sec. 2.  RCW 7.80.120 and 1997 c 159 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) A person found to have committed a civil infraction shall be assessed a monetary penalty.

    (a) The maximum penalty and the default amount for a class 1 civil infraction shall be two hundred fifty dollars, not including statutory assessments, except:

    (i) For an infraction of state law involving tobacco products as specified in RCW 70.93.060(4), in which case the maximum penalty and default amount is five hundred dollars;

    (ii) For an infraction of state law involving drug paraphernalia as specified in RCW 69.50.4121(1), in which case the maximum penalty and default amount shall be as specified in RCW 69.50.4121(4);

    (b) The maximum penalty and the default amount for a class 2 civil infraction shall be one hundred twenty-five dollars, not including statutory assessments;

    (c) The maximum penalty and the default amount for a class 3 civil infraction shall be fifty dollars, not including statutory assessments; and

    (d) The maximum penalty and the default amount for a class 4 civil infraction shall be twenty-five dollars, not including statutory assessments.

    (2) The supreme court shall prescribe by rule the conditions under which local courts may exercise discretion in assessing fines for civil infractions.

    (3) Whenever a monetary penalty is imposed by a court under this chapter it is immediately payable.  If the person is unable to pay at that time the court may grant an extension of the period in which the penalty may be paid.  If the penalty is not paid on or before the time established for payment, the court may proceed to collect the penalty in the same manner as other civil judgments and may notify the prosecuting authority of the failure to pay.

    (4) The court may also order a person found to have committed a civil infraction to make restitution.

 


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