cannabisnews.com: Dover Smoke Shop to Fight Police Seizure 





Dover Smoke Shop to Fight Police Seizure 
Posted by FoM on October 23, 2001 at 14:16:17 PT
By Brad Morin, Democrat Staff Writer
Source: Foster's Online 
Smoke Signals Pipe and Tobacco Shop opened its doors Monday for the first time since police seized its inventory of glass water pipes and other instruments authorities say are used to smoke illegal drugs. Inventory and business were greatly reduced, but the store at 1 Main St. is still selling a stock of cigars, rolling papers and herbal smoking blends. Store manager Susan Hargrove, who has been charged with selling drug paraphernalia, said she will plead innocent to the charge Nov. 9 at Dover District Court.
"As far as I’m concerned, I didn’t sell any drug paraphernalia," she said Monday afternoon. "I just don’t understand how they can bust us and not go after every company that makes this stuff."Police confiscated the pipes about 11 a.m. Friday after obtaining a search warrant in Strafford County Superior Court. Eric Marshall, a friend of Hargrove’s who helped set up the business, said unmarked cruisers pulled into the lot next door and detectives wearing Dover police jackets walked through the door with a warrant. Marshall and Hargrove estimate that the seized items are worth $3,000 to $5,000.The police affidavit to obtain the search warrant states that undercover agents from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force purchased several items from the store. The clerks stated that they were to be used for tobacco, the affidavit stated.But police cited expert knowledge that the pipes were not used for anything other than smoking illegal drugs. Police Chief William Fenniman said this was the first search warrant of its kind in the state and could set a precedent for shutting down other shops.Smoke Signals, which is leased to Hargrove’s mother, Kelly Hargrove, only opened a month ago. It was marked with signs that told customers they had to be 18 or older to enter and they would have to leave if they made any reference to illegal substances."If you came into our store and you said bong (a water pipe for smoking marijuana), you were out the door," said Marshall.When asked if it was true that most people using the pipes would be smoking marijuana out of them, Marshall and Hargrove insisted that they were for tobacco or herbal smoking blends. They were sending customers out of the store with their pipes packed with jasmine, rosebuds and licorice roots.Marshall claims marijuana smokers didn’t need the store’s pipes; smoking devices can be made out paper towel rolls. He also noted that the police left the store’s stock of rolling papers, which could also be used for smoking marijuana and are legal at stores everywhere."Nobody in their right mind is going to set up an illegal shop," he said.Fenniman had noted that some of the items agents purchased included a liquid used by marijuana smokers to pass urine tests and a smoking pipe that was made to be concealed in a highlighter marker.Fenniman expressed confidence that the police would prevail in court. Numerous experts are prepared to testify. As for Smoke Signals, he had no problem with it reopening."We’d be happy to support them as a viable downtown business if they stuck to selling legal products," he said this morning.Smoke Signals still has a humidor filled with cigars, as well as traditional pipes, cigarettes, papers and herbal blends. Hargrove and Marshall say they will stay open, though hours have been slightly reduced. Business was slow on Monday, but some ladies came in that afternoon to buy cigars for their husbands."There seems to be a growing number of people coming in here that want to support us," Marshall said.Source: Foster's Online (NH)Author: Brad Morin, Staff WriterPublished: Tuesday, October 23, 2001Copyright: 2001 Geo. J. Foster Co. Website: http://www.fosters.com/Contact: http://www.fosters.com/site_info/feedback.htm Related Article:Police Seize Inventory of Dover Tobacco Business http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11131.shtmlCannabisNews Articles - Paraphernaliahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/paraphernalia.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by freedom fighter on October 25, 2001 at 06:41:12 PT
The defense can get me on the stand
I will be willing to do a demo showing how I smoke my tobbacoo using waterpipe with a straight face!ff
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Comment #2 posted by bruce42 on October 23, 2001 at 20:35:52 PT
Despite
the fact that all the clerks and the shopowner have stated repeatedly and in the presence of undercover police agents that the merchandise is for smoking tobacco or herbal smoking blends, these merchandise is for illegal drug use- at least according to police "experts." So, yes, how are these police "experts", experts unless they are illegal drug users? Usuallly you have to do a thing, to be an expert ON a thing. Of course, logic and fact are tossed out the window when the cops smell subculture creeping in.Despite what these experts state to the contrary, a pipe can be used to smoke whatever leafy bits one desires. The FACT is that in no way did this store encourage marijuana use. These guys were obviously interested in running a successful smoke shop. Period. This is pure harrassment. Yes we all know people smoke MJ in pipes. BUT, the smoke shop has ZERO responsibility once a pipe leaves the store. I wonder what the county business burau thinks of this? 
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Comment #1 posted by elfman_420 on October 23, 2001 at 16:58:26 PT:
Wait.. read that again.
The police affidavit to obtain the search warrant states that undercover agents from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Drug Task Force purchased several items from the store. The clerks stated that they were to be used for tobacco, the affidavit stated.But police cited expert knowledge that the pipes were not used for anything other than smoking illegal drugs. 
Wait, read that again... the undercover agents used the pipes to smoke illegal drugs?
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