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| Place Going To Pot, or Worse |
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Posted by FoM on July 07, 2001 at 17:23:03 PT By Tony Cristan Source: Morning Sentinel 
Some of our local drug dealers are worried about their reputations: They say they have standards, and they want the rest of us to know it. They insist they don't sell the "hard stuff." They pretty much limit their product line to marijuana. And they say they don't sell to kids. "'No one under 20' is my rule," one self-described marijuana dealer says. "I don't sell to kids. No way. Never to kids." It has been surprising to hear local marijuana dealers rallying against other drug sellers. They say drug merchants "from away" — New York and Massachusetts, mostly — are the ones selling "hard stuff" to central Maine's younger users. "I mean, we're talking kids," one source says. "I mean, 12- and 13-year-olds." By "hard stuff," they say they mean crack and heroin. And they claim crack, a purified and highly addictive form of cocaine that comes in small crystals meant to be smoked, is the bigger of the two problems up here. One source, who had no apparent reason to lie, grows bug-eyed as he speaks frantically about the growing crack trade he sees in this area. And, he says, dealers coming to these parts welcome all takers. Age is not an issue. Money and addiction are. Want Proof? It's interesting that while those who are part of the local drug trade say crack is becoming big in central Maine, there should be a major heroin bust this week in Waterville, which police say was the largest in our history. In a series of arrests this week, Waterville police took four teen-agers into custody. Some were charged with having and dealing heroin, others with violating the rules of their parole or probation. The arrests came after a probation officer and a police officer paid a routine visit on the Waterville home of Jesse L. Sanipas, 19. The officers say they were looking for violations of the rules to which Sanipas must adhere because he is on probation. They say they found a large amount of heroin, a little bit of marijuana and alcohol in Sanipas' bedroom. Strikes one, two and three. Police also say they found scales, plastic bags and other equipment allegedly needed to package illegal drugs so they can be sold. All told, police say they found 160 packets of heroin, each of which contained a gram of the extremely addictive narcotic. Police say heroin, a derivative of morphine, is cheap these days given all the other drugs available, including Oxycontin, a prescription narcotic that has users and dealers robbing or trying to break into pharmacies all over the land. Because of this, many pharmacies no longer stock the drug. These days, heroin sells locally for about $25 for a gram packet, according to sources. Police on Tuesday arrested Sanipas at his 5 Elmwood Ave. home. Officers say he possessed heroin and is believed to be a dealer. On the same day and at the same location, police arrested Rodney H. Hall, of New York City, who celebrated his 20th birthday Friday at the Kennebec County jail, in Augusta, and John M. Sheehan, 18, of Pleasantdale Street, in Waterville. Hall was arrested on an alleged parole violation, and Sheehan because police say he broke the rules of his probation. Hall will be sent back to New York, where he will face charges related to his alleged parole violation here. On Thursday, police made the fourth arrest after they paid a visit on a Tardiff Street home in Waterville. There, they arrested Shontique Nicole Wiggins, a 19-year-old woman from New York City. She also faces charges that she possessed and was selling heroin here in central Maine. Police allege they found 120 packets of the drug among some of Wiggins' possessions, which were at Sanipas' home. Want Something Else? Based on all of this, we can assume the heroin trade in these parts is doing OK. But if some local marijuana dealers are to be believed, heroin is not even the worst of our drug-related problems. "Heroin? There's some up here," one marijuana dealer says. "But we got a lot of people on crack. Maybe no one wants to believe it, but I know what I'm talking about. "I see it every night. People — a lot of kids — using crack." He listed three addresses in Waterville where he claims crack can be gotten easily, and where he says he sees kids not nearly old enough to drive legally buying and smoking it. Crack is cheap, he says, and once they try it, many come back for more. "They're using it right on the sidewalk," he says, sounding more like an outraged parent than a guy who also sells an illegal drug. True, these marijuana dealers who say they oppose the sale of the "hard stuff" do not carry much credibility. But one has to ask: Why would people who make money by selling marijuana want to draw attention to their own illegal industry? To get rid of the competition, perhaps. They say not. Instead, they claim they are troubled by what they describe as a significant flow of dangerous drugs into the area. "Sure, a lot of people will sell to anyone, kids included," according to a local marijuana dealer. "Some have kids selling for them. Everyone knows that. "But I don't sell to kids, no way, never." Local marijuana dealers insist kids are a primary market for those who deal in crack. "Go check," one marijuana dealer says. "They'll sell to anybody. "You know how it works: Get them using it when they're young. Then they'll get their friends using it, too." He shakes his head and looks nervously over his left shoulder even though no one is behind him. "I know what I'm saying," he says. "I sit and watch it every night. Kids and crack." Anthony F. Cristan is editor of the Morning Sentinel. Note: Hard drug problems filtering here, becoming familiar. Source: Morning Sentinel (ME) CannabisNews - Cannabis Archives Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help |
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Comment #2 posted by r.earing on July 08, 2001 at 09:31:20 PT:
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| When has that ever been the case? Commercial weed found on the streets is hardly ever "good".It is a mass produced commodity like ball bearings.Quality control is non-existent.Few kids have developed the knowledge to tell what goes into high quality weed. [ Post Comment ] |
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Comment #1 posted by Jose Melendez on July 08, 2001 at 04:48:13 PT:
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| This article reminds me of something that occured to me when Newt Gingrich came out in favor of executing anyone who sold drugs to our kids: Kids have and sell the best pot, period. It is the new lemonade stand, only with real profit instead of pennies. Wit good crippy bud, a 16 year old can charge upwards of $100 per 1/4 ounce. Guess who they sell to: US adults. Then they take that money and ask us to buy them beer and cigarettes. It is time for all of us to out loud and often, "Poison is legal, WHY NOT POT?" [ Post Comment ] |
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