Thursday, January 17, 2008
Up to $100,000 and two years in prison: that is how much it could now cost Lawrence retailers for selling a glass tobacco pipe.
Lawrence city police began enforcing a law (PDF) Friday that bans all glass pipes, water bongs, scales and other paraphernalia “intended” or “designed” for illegal drug use.
Third Planet manager Melissa Padget said police officers told her everything in her pipe shop had to be gone by Wednesday.
“I can understand coming down on some of those convenience shops that sell crack pipes, but we are actually kind of bitchy about who we let buy our pipes,” Padget said. “If we have the slightest hint someone wants to use the pipe illegally, we won’t sell it to them. No exceptions.”
Photo illustration.
Although the law targets hard drug use involving crack and methamphetamine, local tobacco merchants who do not cater to drug users will take the brunt of the loss.
Aladdin’s Café owner Mohammed Iskandrani said, “I just bought $10,000 worth of hookahs that I can’t return because it’s a state law.”
The sergeant in charge of Lawrence Drug Enforcement, Troy Squire, said he personally delivered news of the regulation Monday to stores all around Lawrence that carry or could potentially carry the forbidden items.
“I’m just warning them about it before we hit them with a citation,” Squire said.
Squire said the city was giving business owners time to liquidate their merchandise before doing spot checks.
Padget said that if the city gave Third Planet a month to liquidate, it might be able to break even. Seven days is the amount of time stores will actually receive.
Padget said Third Planet will follow the law strictly, as it always have, but she was not looking forward to telling the small business glass blowers that they are out of business.
“Most of the pipes we sell are real pieces of art,” Padget said. “Glass blowing is how some local artists make a living.”
Padget said that eight local glass blowers will seriously suffer from the closing of Third Planet and two employees will be put on reduced hours.
House Bill number 2062 defines illegal paraphernalia as anything primarily intended for illegal drug use. The word “primarily” was in italics to show that this word was added to the new draft of the bill (PDF). The city’s flyer to educate retailers left that word out.
Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson said that the interpretation of the law is determined by the police as it applies to specific cases.
“If someone can demonstrate a legal purpose [for the item], and proves that it was not primarily intended for illegal use, then it is not illegal,” Branson said.
Squire said that hookahs would be considered illegal by the Lawrence Police Department.
Branson said there was no appeal process he knew of right now against police judgment.
“[Hookahs are] a part of our culture,” Iskandrani said. “It has nothing to do with this law. We do it in our homes with our families.”
The bill states that items such as pipes designed to draw smoke through water could be classified illegal, but does not specifically mention hookahs.
“There will be some confusion about what is legal and not legal,” Branson said. “People really need to take a good look at the statute.”
Branson said the law got hard drug paraphernalia off the shelf. He said previous laws regarding paraphernalia did nothing to prevent the sale of blatant illegal drug items such as sweetheart roses, which are specifically designed for crack cocaine.
“These pipes were being sold in the open right next to brillo pads, which are stuffed into the pipe to act as filters,” Branson said.
Branson said these were items that could not be used for any other reason than dangerous drugs.
“I am not foolish enough to think that this will prevent drug use in Kansas or Douglas County,” Branson said, “but if we can make it a little bit harder, it is well worth it.”
Squire said that even owning a glass pipe was technically illegal now. He said the state already enforces a law banning possession of all paraphernalia, and with the new definition of paraphernalia, having glass tobacco pipes or hookahs will be in violation of the law. He said Lawrence police have the obligation to enforce this new restriction by way of duty.
“We are sworn to uphold all city ordinances and state laws as city police,” Squire said.
— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
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Comments
New law targets local retailers
Anyways, we all know that its mainly to get at potheads. Those horrible criminals.
I saw Reefer Madness, I know what it does to those sick, deranged people.
New law targets local retailers
it's not a bong, it's not a bong, it's NOT a BONG until AFTER you smoke dope in it...until then it is a waterpipe...
New law targets local retailers
What I want to know is next Wednesday when the shelves downtown are bare will I still be able to find the "sweetheart rose" at my local 'kwiki-mart'? I bet I can and if I do will the LPD be right there to shut them down? They damn well better be. Otherwise this whole thing was a farce.
New law targets local retailers
police state. police state. police state.
New law targets local retailers
And yet, no one in this godforsaken town will do anything about it.
How is it that a Hookah bar that only sells tobacco to be smoked in their hookahs, is now being shut down, when the officer in the interview clearly stated that if something is shown to not be used for illegal purposes it's not illegal?! How does that make sense at all?!!! The Hookah doesn't have crack or marijuana in it, it has TOBACCO. Which as we all well know is perfectly legal (Because tobacco companies own the government). Kansas is full of some of the stupidest people I've ever seen. Mostly in government.
New law targets local retailers
What do the cops think they're going to do to make a difference? To make a change? Do they REALLY think that the people that use these pipes to smoke weed will stop? Did they not know you can smoke weed out of ANYTHING? Soda cans, milk jugs, pop bottles, the list goes on. All they do is just make it a tiny bit more inconvenient. And what about the people that smoke crack/meth? This surely wouldn't begin to deter them; they're even more resourceful than the pot heads. They'll use tire pressure gages, glass pens, light bulbs, the list continues.
When will our government ****ing learn that drugs aren't an issue of crime but of medicine? How many lives and dollars have to be spent on this useless drug war? Weren't drugs, heroin, cocaine, marijuana, etc legal at one time (prior to the '20s), and didn't the world get by just fine? This is just another example of this bs neo-American attitude that you can just bust into other people's PERSONAL lives in the guise of trying to help them!
Remember the old commercials that said if you smoked weed you were supporting terrorism? Well, probably unlikely, but you could be if you're using cocaine or heroin, whose crops come from Columbian rebels and Al-Qaeda controlled poppy farmers. Wouldn't it be a lot easier to cut off these terrorists money supply by legalizing and growing these crops here?
New law targets local retailers
pigz r pigz what do u xpect from cops ova half r crooked n e wayz i dont think tht the selling of pipes/waterbongs/hookas is even remotely a problem all the cops do is arrest law abiding citizens and send them to jail or prison I'm only goin to say this onc so pay attention WEED is not a Drug so thank you mr cop for arresting the drug dealer next to me sending him to prison For 25 yrs n moving a sex offender n next to me real great job thtz the problem all o the prisons r bein takn up with people who dont deserve to b there. n look whos left on the streets,serial killas, child molesters,all the real criminals r free to walk around so i say the Police they can suck a dick they r the real enemy.
New law targets local retailers
I have never had a better glass piece than a one a bought from a local glass blower. It was an inside out Pyrex glass bubbler with a ton of 3d detailing and amazing coloring. Glass art and glass pipes are a great art form where the artisan can make a good living from their craft and create something functional and beautiful. http://www.sunflowerpipes.com
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