cannabisnews.com: Feds Busting Dot-Com Sites Touting Paraphernalia





Feds Busting Dot-Com Sites Touting Paraphernalia
Posted by CN Staff on February 27, 2003 at 08:40:52 PT
By Frank Green, Union-Tribune Staff Writer 
Source: Union Tribune 
The $200 water pipes lining the shelves at Puff 'n' Stuff on El Cajon Boulevard look like props from an old Cheech and Chong flick. Some stand 2 feet tall and come equipped with artistic ceramic bowls in all the colors of the psychedelic rainbow. "These are strictly for smoking tobacco," said Sabrina, a clerk at the store who asked that her last name not be used. But don't tell that to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. 
The federal government this week charged 55 people with operating dot-com sites that distribute drug paraphernalia, including water pipes, roach clips and miniature scales. Ashcroft said the crackdown was necessary because the products could be bought by minors over the Internet without parental permission. "The illegal drug paraphernalia industry has invaded the homes of families across the country without the knowledge of their families," Ashcroft said. Such tough talk scares the owners of some local head shops, who wonder if their storefront businesses could be the Justice Department's next target. Several dozen San Diego County shops – including The Black in Ocean Beach, Glass Act on El Cajon Boulevard and Visions in Pacific Beach – sell the same types of elaborate, pricey, glass-and-ceramic water pipes that were advertised on the Web sites shut down this week by the Justice Department. "The government probably wants to stamp out this market," said Vic McCully, owner of Synthetic Trips on University Avenue. McCully said he has no problem with the Justice Department closing Internet entrepreneurs who have been shipping bongs and other related items to minors. "No one can come into (Synthetic Trips) who's under 18," said McCully, who opened the store in 1967. Behind him were shelves stocked with oversize water pipes featuring garish depictions of cobras and grinning satyrs. At least one local head-shop owner said he is considering discontinuing his extensive line of water pipes and converting the store space to carry alternative books, DVDs and other products in light of the government's new hard line. "I don't want to do jail time for selling somebody a water pipe," he said, requesting anonymity. The Drug Enforcement Administration said the raids on the Web sites Monday targeted companies that were specifically advertising their products as drug-taking accessories. But the distinction between selling water pipes purportedly for use with tobacco and pipes for smoking marijuana is not a clear one, DEA spokeswoman Magdalena Martinez said. "If (a certain pipe) is illegal, it's definitely possible" that the government could go after small retailers selling that product, she said. Certainly, the drug paraphernalia market, which has an estimated $1 billion in annual sales, is enjoying sky-high visibility. April's issue of High Times, for instance, is jammed with ads for everything from bongs and rolling papers to hydroponic growing systems and detoxifying drinks. The magazine's centerfold? A pictorial selection of huge marijuana buds dubbed "Mother's Finest," "Super Kali Mist," "Buddha's Sister" and "New York City Diesel." "I think the government's attitude is that water pipes and other stuff are against the law and that anybody who sells them is a criminal," said Steven Wishnia, a senior editor at the magazine. "But whether they're going to want to bust every little Joe's Hippie Hut in the country is another thing." Wishnia estimated that there are several thousand head shops in the United States, as well as many retail stores that sell water pipes and other similar goods on the side. In the Monday raids, investigators nationwide seized thousands of tons of illegal products, the Justice Department said. Defendants in Operation Pipe Dreams have been charged with conspiring and offering to sell various types of drug paraphernalia, both felonies. The 55 defendants were charged in 35 indictments. Each charge can bring three years in prison under federal statutes. Eleven Web sites of online drug paraphernalia retailers – including ghettoweb.com, puffpipes.com, and smokelab.com. – now redirect users to a message from the DEA informing them that those sites have been "restrained" by the government. Complete Title: Feds Busting Dot-Com Sites Touting Drug Paraphernalia Source: San Diego Union Tribune (CA)Author: Frank Green, Union-Tribune Staff Writer Published: February 27, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.Contact: letters uniontrib.comWebsite: http://www.uniontrib.com/Related Articles:Drug Paraphernalia Arrest http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15581.shtmlFederal Crackdown Hits Lewisville Smoke Shop http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15576.shtmlOperation Pipe Dreams Is a Nightmare http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15573.shtmlRaids Take WoD's To Higher Level of Absurdityhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread15572.shtml
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