CHAMPAIGN — Owners of Illinois glass pipe shops are elated to begin selling bongs after the state’s law legalizing recreational marijuana took effect.
Jeremy Sample, part-owner of CU Glass Connection, told The News-Gazette that he and primary owner Owen Serpetis opened their shop Dec. 16 in anticipation of the new Illinois law that started Jan. 1.
“I’ve actually run shops out of Oregon for the last eight years. Oregon’s kind of a mecca for glassblowing,” said Sample, a Champaign native. “Our main goal is to try to bring a little bit of legitimacy to the industry. … Our goal is to bring something a little bit higher quality and show that it’s not just a bunch of dirty potheads.”
The products — a variety of dry pipes and water pipes — are crafted by glassblowers from Oregon, Washington, California and Arizona as well as by some local blowers.
Sample noted he is prioritizing American-made “quality over quantity.”
“A lot of the import-glass, things of that nature, contain a lot of different impurities,” said Sample, who credits marijuana with helping him get off opiates.
Recreational marijuana users will be able to get equipment to use cannabis at several local stores.
Traditional tobacco shops such as Jon’s Pipe Shop will not sell marijuana equipment, but some other smoke and vape shops intend to sell.
Vapors Plus will sell water pipes, hand pipes, bubblers and other equipment.
“Basically any tool or accessories you will need come January 1st, 2020, we will have it,” the company said in a Facebook message.
Meanwhile, a dispensary based in Champaign is focusing on marijuana products, such as joints, edibles, concentrates, tinctures and vape cartridges, instead of the equipment to use cannabis, such as pipes, bubblers and grinders.