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."