That doesn't keep a lot of people from owning them though. I would suggest just getting a king snake though.

There's a reason the PetCo 5 miles across the TN line off HWY 75 is doing so well

And from the talk from some of the people I know in Georgia who own them, just don't get a normal and you can always pass it off as a king if you need to. They do show up on Craigslist from time to time.