In most states, a person caught in possession of drug paraphernalia can be criminally charged. Obvious paraphernalia items include dirty syringes or residue-filled pipes. What many people don't know, however, is that any item used get high, conceal, or manufacture illegal drugs is considered paraphernalia, even if that was not the item's original purpose.
Household Paraphernalia Items: Items around the house that are often turned into drug paraphernalia include: burnt and bent metal spoons, aluminum soda cans, tin foil and metal dish-scouring pads. If these items are left in their original state and not used with illegal drugs, they are not a problem. They become paraphernalia and illegal when they are altered. For example a soda will be altered by having its top cut off. Then, the underside will be burnt because it is used to cook drugs. Tin foil will be torn into pieces and will typically have burn marks on the bottom. The metal dish-scouring pad will be cut up very small. Plastic Baggies, when used to store or transport drugs, become paraphernalia in the eyes of the law.
Items Sold For Drug Use: Many items on store shelves are actually used to facilitate drug use. In some cases, they have different use claims to keep the manufacturer out of legal trouble, but the item's intent is obvious. Pipes with rounded glass bowls on the end are used to smoke crack and crystal meth. Oftentimes, rolling papers are for rolling marijuana and smoking it.
Manufacturing Items: Guidebooks for growing marijuana, grow lights for marijuana cultivation, fertilizer, and other “green-thumb” items are illegal in some states. Scales used to weigh the drugs for packaging or for sale fall within the guidelines of drug paraphernalia. In addition, containers that are used to hide or conceal drugs are considered paraphernalia. Examples include: pretend cell phones that have the insides removed, cosmetic cases with their centers hollowed out, and pretend books that have no pages.