Give a straw, go to jail

[Sparko]

Wouldn't know - the only link provided was for this one - and I quoted the relevant part a ways back.

I'd have to see the wording. but given the likely backlash if a case ever hit the news, I suspect this loophole was deliberately inserted - and the others have ones as well. Passing the silly thing then looks good to the base, but is unlikely to get your face splashed on the Ten O'Clock report as the idiot that sent a struggling mother of two to jail for giving a customer a straw.

Yeah the law is written pretty much so that it doesn't really mean anything. As long as you are asked if you want a straw or you ask for a straw, or pick up a straw from a dispenser yourself, then you can have a plastic straw. That is why I said earlier it was just one of those feel-good laws, that let's them pat themselves on the back for saving the world while not actually doing something.

I hope someone does pass out a straw without being asked and then they have to actually try to enforce the law. That will be fun to watch.

[rogue06]

Yeah the law is written pretty much so that it doesn't really mean anything. As long as you are asked if you want a straw or you ask for a straw, or pick up a straw from a dispenser yourself, then you can have a plastic straw. That is why I said earlier it was just one of those feel-good laws, that let's them pat themselves on the back for saving the world while not actually doing something.

I hope someone does pass out a straw without being asked and then they have to actually try to enforce the law. That will be fun to watch.

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[Sparko]

So, this whole fiasco was started by a made-up statistic by a nine-year-old.




How a 9-Year-Old Boy’s Statistic Shaped a Debate on Straws

If you’ve read a recent article about Starbucks, Marriott or Seattle banning plastic straws, you might have come across a striking statistic: Americans use about 500 million straws each day.

That figure has been cited widely, appearing in stories by USA Today, CNN, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Fox News and, yes, even The New York Times.

But consider the source: The number is based on research conducted years ago by an enterprising 9-year-old Vermont boy named Milo Cress.

Professional estimates of straw usage are hard, but not impossible, to find. Yet, the number this fourth grader came up with in 2011, as part of a personal environmental conservation campaign, has proved surprisingly durable, working its way to the heart of the debate over plastic straws.

“It is honestly a little surprising,” said Mr. Cress, who turned 17 on Thursday. “I came up with this statistic because I couldn’t find anything else about it. If there are other statistics on how many straws we use that are based on more rigorous research than the research that I did, I’m happy to embrace those.”