Bring us your pot pipes, your cocaine spoons, Honolulu police say, and we’ll take them — no questions asked.

As a first step to enforcing Hawaii’s new law prohibiting drug paraphernalia, the Honolulu Police Department is offering a three-month-long amnesty to encourage people to turn in illegal items without fear of reprisals.

Beginning tomorrow, police will accept drug paraphernalia — no questions asked — under the Drug Paraphernalia Disposal Program. The program, similar to the department’s successful gun turn-in program, will run through Oct. 31.

Anyone may call police at 911 to arrange for officers to pick up drug paraphernalia or may turn in the items at any police station. Police then will destroy the materials.

“We want to give everybody an opportunity to turn in to us any items they may see around the house and have any doubts that they may be used to take drugs,” said Vice Maj. Frank Su’a.

“We won’t ask for their names or ask them any questions. We just want to get the paraphernalia off the streets. The law is new and this is a gesture on our part to get it started,” he said.

The program also is a method of informing the public about the new law, Su’a said. The law, based on a model act passed in at least 38 other states, went into effect July 9. It makes it a felony to own, use, possess or sell drug paraphernalia — described as equipment, products or materials used for growing, processing, manufacturing, selling, distributing, inhaling, hiding or ingesting illegal or “controlled” drugs.

These illegal items include growing kits, testing equipment, chemicals used to cut or increase the potency of drugs, packing equipment, special marijuana pipes and “bongs,” roach clips, special “carburetor” pipes and other devices associated with the drug culture.

Drug paraphernalia also may include collector’s items such as vials with spoons and common household items such as blenders, food scales and a particular baby laxative used for cutting cocaine. …

Maximum penalties for those found breaking the new law include a five-year jail sentence and a $5,000 fine.

Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.