Woman Faces Prison After Bong Water Tests Positive

Minnesota decriminalized drug paraphernalia last year, per CBS News. But when deputies pulled Jessica Beske over on May 8, court documents say, they found a bong, a glass jar holding a "crystal substance," and pipes. Although no drugs were found, the bong water tested positive for methamphetamine, and Beske, 43, says she was charged with first-degree drug possession. Beske said she was stunned to read the potential prison sentence on her charge sheet. "All I could see was 30 to 40 years," she said, the Guardian reports. "And I couldn't speak, I couldn't breathe."

Drug paraphernalia was decriminalized last year in the state, per NBC News, even if drug residue remains in it. But a law treating bong water as a controlled substance remains on the books, per the Minnesota Reformer. The statute also allows a fine of up to $1 million. While dealing with her own prosecution, Beske said she's working on the larger issue. "It's just so wrong that I just have to hold hope that this is going to change the law, hopefully," she said. "I don't want anybody else to have to have to go through this." (More Minnesota stories.)