It's a stupid law, but all of the coverage of this appears to be wildly inaccurate.

The law can be found here:

www.sandyspringsga.org/getmedia/10a8b1c9-a23f-46de-9f4f-3892d77bded2/ORDINANCE-NO--2009-04-24---Amending-Section-38-119-and-Section-38-120;;.aspx;.html

It is part of an ordinance to keep adult bookstores out of Sandy Springs, which I gather is trying to be an upscale suburb of Atlanta.

It prevents distribution of sex toys within town. It doesn't prevent purchase or ownership of sex toys.

It doesn't require a prescription to purchase a sex toy.

It doesn't EVEN prevent sell of a sex toy OVER THE COUNTER at say a pharmacy or Walmart or CVS.

(d) It is an affirmative defense under this section that selling, renting, or leasing the material was done for a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial, or law enforcement purpose.

So you can't sell a sex toy for "toy" use, but you can sell it without a Rx for medical needs, or educational needs. In Alabama, where sex toys are illegal to sell and own, sex shops sell sex toys as "novelties", or ask you to fill out an anonymous questionnaire asking if you or a partner needs one.
Distribution of sex toys is a misdemeanor on the first offense with a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine and one year in jail, although the law doesn't ban possession.

But the law has a loophole that allows for the sale of sex toys that are needed for unspecified "medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial, or law enforcement" purposes, and Williams jumped through it. Customers buying toys - items that can be used for sexual stimulation - fill out an anonymous form with 10 questions including whether they or a partner have difficulty with sexual fulfillment.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alabama-sex-toy-drive-thru-business-on-the-rise/

And if you use google maps, it turns out that within a TWO mile drive of Sandy Springs, GA, there is at least one sex shop, called appropriately enough, "The Love Shack".

So...

It's a stupid law.

It's on a par with laws that keep big box stores out of town, walmarts out of town, or fast food restaurants out of town.

It doesn't prohibit purchase or ownership of sex toys.

It apparently doesn't even do a good job of prohibiting selling of sex toys IN town.

And in under a 7 minute drive, there are dildos a plenty for purchase.

You just have to be willing to head through the zombie afflicted portions of Atlanta.

The media just seems to love to get things wrong. Almost as if it were their job to get things wrong.

Jessica Valenti read the same articles everyone else was reading, and decided this was about Patriarchy Oppressing Women even though the ordinance is quite gender neutral and oppresses men who buy sex toys too.

What saddens me is how few journalists and their editors bothered to look up the ordinance and see that it's clearly not what they are claiming it is.

There is no room for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.

Well, that's just not good enough jerry. Since when did you have to fill out a questionnaire to buy groceries (or for that matter, condoms)? I don't care if the law has a hole big enough to drive a truck through, it's still wrong.

(d) It is an affirmative defense under this section that selling, renting, or leasing the material was done for a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, legislative, judicial, or law enforcement purpose.

Great. It's a defence. Until some busybody questions it and you have to defend it. See the reversal of the burden of proof?

I think Jerry summed it up appropriately with "It's a stupid law". It creates bad publicity (as we are seeing), it appears to offer no public benefit, and it creates a lane for selective enforcement and politically-motivated prosecution.

It is one more straw on top of all of the other little laws that add up to the haystack of rules and regulations that we are all buried under.
As Cousin Dave said, it will effectively allow someone in power to selectively prosecute someone they don't like, someday. Other than that, it effectively does nothing.

This is pretty widespread in the South. When I was growing up in Atlanta, the police would occasionally raid sex shops and seize a bunch of dildos. And in Texas, I believe, you are limited in the number you can purchase except for educational purpose or something. It's ridiculous.

Well, that's just not good enough jerry. Since when did you have to fill out a questionnaire to buy groceries (or for that matter, condoms)?

Exactly.

In Virginia, it is illegal to sell raw milk. Instead, people have... cow shares! Like a time share of property, you have a share of the cow. I'm not sure if you get the cow one day a week, or you just get a portion ownership (like, 10% ownership). Either way, once you own the cow, what the cow produces is also yours.

Stupid laws.

I haven't defended this law one iota.

I have said that it's reported wildly inaccurately.

The difference between outrage and poutrage is getting the facts straight.

I think you're mistaken in not understanding this law IS effective where it applies.

That's not a defense of the law.

The law does not effectively keep dildos and fleshjacks out of the hands of Sandy Springs residents.

The law does effectively keep adult bookstores off their main drag, placing them two miles back in Atlanta.

It's a zoning law.

If you're going to bitch about it, bitch about zoning laws.

And apparently cops can purchase them to beat and rape their suspects just fine. So you know, Georgia.

Same thing in Missouri, except you can't rent that cow if you're within a mile of a sex shop.

Man the south is just a shit place.