cannabisnews.com: Daytona Tries To Quash Sales of 'Tobacco' Pipes





Daytona Tries To Quash Sales of 'Tobacco' Pipes
Posted by FoM on December 29, 2001 at 08:39:02 PT
By Rich McKay, Sentinel Staff Writer
Source: Orlando Sentinel 
Danny Black of Shoreham, N.Y., pressed his nose to the glass window of Sportwear USA, ogling the colorful array of glass pipes -- some 2 feet tall -- billed for tobacco only. But few are fooled."It's for marijuana, man," he said. "Getting high. I don't do cigarettes." Black is uncommonly candid about his intentions. The 19-year-old college sophomore on Christmas break said he wants to inhale, get high and then get the munchies.
Black wanted to get an exotic tobacco pipe fast. Daytona Beach City Commission recently took a hard line on the pipes. They have banned the display and sale of them, and they threaten fines that could run from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.It's part of the commission's effort to clean up the city's image of a party-till-you-puke town."These things are drug paraphernalia, and there's no question about that," said Mayor Bud Asher. "We're taking a stand to do our best to keep our young people drug-free."A similar tactic is being used on the city's adult strip clubs and video stores, with many thousands of dollars in potential fines accumulating. But the effectiveness remains to be seen, as the business owners are fighting the city in court.Asher said the new ordinance relies on an existing Florida statute that bans drug paraphernalia.The statute specifically bans: "Objects used, intended for use, or designed for use in ingesting, inhaling, or otherwise introducing cannabis (*marijuana) into the human body.""Bongs" -- slang for any container used to smoke marijuana, filtering the smoke through water -- are outlawed in the same state law.Not so fast. There's a loophole.If you use only tobacco in the items, or even use them as paperweights, they're perfectly legal, said Sgt. Al Tolley of the Daytona Beach Police Department.It's what goes in there, or your intent, that's at issue.All the stores the Sentinel found selling the pipes have signs specifically stating that the objects are for use with tobacco.You walk into the stores and you'll see big signs that declare the items are for use in tobacco only.But undercutting that declaration is the fact that many of the pipes are individually marked with the numbers "4:20"-- slang for getting high.Other communities across the nation are taking similar hard lines. Earlier this month, the city of Chicago banned the sale of flavored cigarette paper that could be used to hide the smell of marijuana.This summer the state of Michigan along with the city of Chicago banned the sale of 4-inch glass pipes that can be used as crack pipes -- deeming them drug paraphernalia.In Milwaukee -- while not banning the items -- district attorney asked merchants to sign good-faith agreements not to sell the items, saying proving intent would be too difficult.Asher said his city is ready to fight -- and fight hard."I'm no goodie-two-shoes, but this is something we don't need or want in Daytona Beach."Wire services were used in this report. Source: Orlando Sentinel (FL)Author: Rich McKay, Sentinel Staff WriterPublished: December 29, 2001Copyright: 2001 Orlando SentinelContact: insight orlandosentinel.comWebsite: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/CannabisNews Paraphernalia Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/paraphernalia.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by Smoky Mac Pot on January 02, 2002 at 17:55:27 PT:
Yea Right...
There is no way anyone will every be able to completly stop people from doin what they want... It is a right that we can do whatever we want to OUR OWN bodies. You make your own decisions. You tell me what to do... I tell you what to do so back off...
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on December 31, 2001 at 10:02:14 PT
Thank You Kapt!
That means a lot to me coming from you. I have great respect for you and your wise words.
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Comment #7 posted by kaptinemo on December 31, 2001 at 09:34:38 PT:
Many, many thanks, FoM
For the well-wishing and the kind words over this past year. But most of all for the outstanding work you've done here. It couldn't have happened without you.
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on December 31, 2001 at 08:48:10 PT
kapt
Hi Kaptinemo,I just want to wish you a Happy New Year! I wish everyone a Happy New Year! When you said it was going to be a long hot summer you sure were right. I hope and pray that the coming year brings peace but I don't think it will happen but I hope it will. 
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Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on December 31, 2001 at 08:28:23 PT:
"Drug Paraphenalia", eh?
And what, pray tell, does a whiskey bottle, a beer can, or a wine carafe have in common?They're all drug paraphenalia.Dark Star has it pegged - as it always should have been; rampant, unthinking, hypocritical nonsense. 
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Comment #4 posted by Jose Melendez on December 29, 2001 at 15:38:42 PT:
kneejerks
There is a store in Daytona that they had been harassing called XTC - but I think they stopped bothering them; it is an adult book and video store. 
Fat chance they'll do anything about BEER or CIGARETTES in Daytona, though. I guess that message is OK for kids. 
See my comments about Bud Asher's hypocrisy at:
http://my.marijuana.com/comments.php?sid=2603&tid=5523&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
Jose Melendez
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Comment #3 posted by CorvallisEric on December 29, 2001 at 15:21:36 PT
party image
Maybe the symbology (the message) bothers them more than the utility. I would like to see their reaction to a store that blatently displayed and sold nothing but cannabis-related posters, music, books, magazines, etc, but nothing that could conceivably be called paraphernalia.
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Comment #2 posted by thoasted on December 29, 2001 at 14:23:51 PT:
Yeah, that's gonna work.
How many times has someone stopped getting high cause there were no 2 foot bongs for sale? Better outlaw aluminum cans too. Just turn it on its side, make a small indent, poke a few holes with a paper clip, inhale through can opening. There's ALWAYS a way.
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Comment #1 posted by Dark Star on December 29, 2001 at 08:56:50 PT
Hypocrisy
"It's part of the commission's effort to clean up the city's image of a party-till-you-puke town."Yeah, fat chance unless they are going to ban alcohol sales. It is a bunch of hypocritical nonsense.
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