Drug Paraphernalia

In 2005, Pinellas County established a local Drug Paraphernalia Abatement Task Force to research, fact find, and discuss the impact of drug paraphernalia sales in the County. The task force included fifteen (15) members including elected officials, law enforcement, education and youth representatives, neighborhood leaders, and service providers in the drug treatment and recovery field.

The Task Force researched community impacts and heard from community stakeholders as part of their efforts and reported by to the Board of County Commissioners (Board) in 2006 with recommendations. The Board adopted the drug paraphernalia ordinance on October 10, 2006, to help mitigate possible community impact and limit access by youth.
In recent years, fentanyl has emerged as a major drug of concern driving overdoses nationwide. Often individual are unaware of the presence of fentanyl resulting in severe risk of fentanyl poisoning, hospitalization, and death. In response to this growing threat, the State of Florida passed Senate Bill 164 revising drug paraphernalia definitions to exclude products for fentanyl testing effective July 1, 2023, in order to help reduce possible overdoses and save lives.
Based on the statutory change, Pinellas County quickly incorporated the same exclusion locally in order to help protect the health and safety of our residents. The proposed change clarifies definitions to align with recent statutory changes to exclude products for fentanyl testing to promote the health and safety of residents.

Downloadable Sign -Drug Paraphernalia signage (PDF download)

Drug Paraphernalia Ordinance – Pinellas County Code, Section 86-107