I realize this post is a few days quiet now, but I didn't see anyone mention one important issue that has to do with importation, and that's the accidental importation of parasites. There are several papers on introduced parasites (like ticks) that were brought into the U.S. on imported reptiles, some specifically on ball pythons. Some of these parasites are also vectors for some pretty nasty introduced diseases, including some that are fatal to livestock and deer, and some dangerous to humans.
I disagree with large-scale importation of ball pythons for many other reasons already stated in this thread, but at this point it would be like beating a dead horse to go over them again. It's also apparent that no minds are going to be changed. I just thought I'd bring this point up in case it was something that hadn't been thought of yet.
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