I have wondered this too. Try this -- use my handle here and try to find out more on me. Try to get an address or a tele #. I prob gave mine since I'm not a criminal but you see where I'm going with this. I think it would be pretty useless for the man to work that hard for a homebrewer, unless that homebrewer was makin 500 gallons a day. But if that were the case he would'nt have to come here to get you!!!!! Now after all that, its not against the law to own a distillation unit. So by ordering one over the internet, its not like someone says there goes another one -- go get em Sgt. There are a whole lot of companies that sell such items and you went through one to get here. I am good friends with a couple of cops and they say --nobody really gives a shit unless you get stupid. I've only been at this 2 or 3 years and no probs yet.