Legal Definitions - head shop

Head Shop

A "head shop" refers to a retail business that sells products primarily designed, marketed, or intended for use in consuming, preparing, or facilitating the use of substances that are illegal under the law. Although some items sold might have alternative, legal applications, the overall selection of goods, their design, and the store's marketing typically indicate an intent to serve the illegal drug market.

• Example 1: The "Tobacco Accessory" Store

  Imagine a store that prominently displays a wide array of glass water pipes, elaborate bongs, specialized grinders, and various types of rolling papers, all alongside small digital scales. Even if the store owner claims these items are solely for "tobacco use" or "herbal remedies," the specific combination and design of the products strongly suggest they are intended for use with illegal drugs. A court would likely consider this establishment a head shop due to the clear implied intent behind its inventory.

• Example 2: The Novelty and Paraphernalia Outlet

  Consider a shop that sells t-shirts and posters featuring cannabis leaves, alongside a dedicated section for "incense burners" that are clearly designed as pipes, and "decorative containers" that are actually disguised stash boxes. The store's overall aesthetic, the nature of its novelty items, and the specific design of its "accessories" point to an intent to provide tools for illegal drug use, classifying it as a head shop.

• Example 3: The Online "Vaporizer" Retailer

  An online retailer advertises a range of "concentrate vaporizers" and "dab rigs" with specific attachments and heating elements known to be used for consuming illegal cannabis concentrates. Despite disclaimers about "legal use only," the highly specialized nature of the equipment, its common association with illegal substances, and the target audience for such products would lead to its classification as a head shop, even in a virtual setting.