DES MOINES, Iowa — A new Iowa law has put smoke shops in limbo by adding a 40% tax on glass and metal pipes and bongs.
Senate File 345 was quietly passed at the end of the 2024 legislative session and took effect on January 1, 2025. In addition to the 40% tax, the law requires smoke shops to pay a $1,500 sales permit and requires the business owner to keep a record of devices sold for five years.
“There’s no room for us to operate. You know, it takes all of our legs in the game,” said Zerron Horton, President of the Glass Industry Coalition of Iowa and owner of Unkl Ruckus’s Smoking Emporium & Skate Shop…