cannabisnews.com: Drug Culture Not Worthy of Compassion










  Drug Culture Not Worthy of Compassion

Posted by CN Staff on March 14, 2003 at 08:12:53 PT
By Ernie Batista 
Source: Tribune Review  

Columnist Dimitri Vassilaros's criticism ("Priorities go to pot in bong bust," March 2) of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Operation Pipe Dreams, which focused on the sale of illegal drug paraphernalia, compelled me to try to provide him with a more in-depth perspective of the detrimental affects and misery caused by drug trafficking and drug abuse on the citizens of our nation. Drugs equals money, money equals power. Drug money funds not only the gangs committing the drive-by shootings in many neighborhoods but also international terrorists, drug lords and narco-governments. 
The DEA has conducted counterdrug operations against international terrorist organizations long before they became household names. Drugs are just another weapon of mass destruction. Thousands die each year in the United States due to the terror of drugs. MULTI-LEVEL ATTACK  The DEA's strategy has always been to attack drug trafficking organizations at every level in order to make it more difficult for them to operate here or overseas. The DEA, in partnership with foreign and U.S. law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, has attacked the drug organizations' production operations, methods of transportation, communication and distribution networks, money-laundering methods and also attempted to seize the assets generated from their ill-gotten gains. Not to mention incarcerating as many major drug dealers as possible. Drug organizations depend on others to provide resources and material to produce drugs, transport, distribute and use them. Whether you provide the chemicals to produce the drugs, the airplanes, ships and cars to transport them, the people to sell them, the businesses to launder drug proceeds, the equipment to use them or the people to consume them, you are a member of the drug organization. Whatever your role is in the drug chain, your actions are enabling drug lords and terrorists to exist, profit, and commit atrocities. By working together to attack the various links, we attempt to make drug trafficking more costly and problematic for drug organizations.  ANOTHER TOOL "Operation Pipe Dreams" has removed yet another tool from the drug dealers' toolbox. Without the little plastic bags or other items sold in paraphernalia shops, the street dealer has a difficult time distributing drugs and drug users have a difficult time using drugs. Remember that the kids buying heroin today in western Pennsylvania are buying "stamp bags" of heroin. Quantities of crack cocaine, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine are weighed on scales and sold in "knots" or Baggies. Many teenagers buy marker pens designed to conceal drugs — making it easy to use drugs while at school. The items sold at paraphernalia stores promote drug use, pure and simple. No one smokes tobacco from a bong. For that matter, most of the products sold at a paraphernalia shop do not have any legal household applications. Some shop owners also provide cutting agents in pre-measured amounts for the drug dealers wanting to increase their profits by diluting the purity of the drugs being sold. Easily influenced teenagers visiting paraphernalia shops are exposed to the "tools of the trade" of drug abuse in an environment that many teenagers consider "cool." The Internet is widely used to sell drug paraphernalia and other drug-related products worldwide. Paraphernalia shops are driven by profit and have no interest in the welfare, safety and health of our children. They could care less. They are making millions of dollars and I seriously doubt that many are paying taxes on their income. Should law enforcement consider these businesses harmless and look the other way? During the current epidemic of heroin and methamphetamine addiction in western Pennsylvania should we allow them to continue to promote drug use under our noses in violation of U.S. laws? Is that what the parents of the kids that have been drawn into drug addiction expect law enforcement to do? I seriously doubt it. CAN THE CHEAP SHOTS Instead of being the targets of cheap shots, DEA, and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the state and federal prosecutors should be commended for their efforts in our region. They are risking their lives and doing their best to make a difference. They have taken a comprehensive local and global approach against drug organizations in an effort to cripple the marketing and distribution of drugs in Pittsburgh and throughout the nation. Their efforts have included the initiation of a worldwide investigation and the arrest in Spain of the world's most prolific supplier of Ecstasy, followed by the arrests of the major Ecstasy dealers in Pittsburgh, the recent arrests of Pittsburgh's major heroin dealers and the arrests of unscrupulous doctors and pharmacists who provide prescription drugs such as Oxycontin, Percocet and other opiates for resale to drug abusers. Instead of showing compassion for those who promote drug use, I would strongly recommend that Mr. Vassilaros visit a drug treatment center and talk to the kids who are engaged in the desperate struggle of their lives trying to rid their bodies of heroin and other drugs. Ask them what they think of drugs, paraphernalia and anything else associated with the substance that is stealing their hope, their future and their lives. The writer was assistant special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration office in Pittsburgh. He is retired and lives in Cranberry Township. Source: Tribune Review (PA)Author: Ernie BatistaPublished: Friday, March 14, 2003 Copyright: 2003 Tribune-Review Publishing Co.Contact: letters tribune-review.comWebsite: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/CannabisNews - Paraphernalia Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/paraphernalia.shtml

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Comment #14 posted by billos on March 15, 2003 at 03:28:26 PT:

hookahs
"I think hookahs are very dangerous," says Kattlove. "Nicotine is an addictive substance. As soon as they begin to feel good about smoking -- they are going to take up cigarettes." Here we go again. They'll try to ban the hookahs for the reason that it is "A gateway apparatus to cigarettes". Do these people actually get paid for iterating such C-R-A-P ?
And, who the hell are "they" as noted by Kattlove?
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on March 14, 2003 at 17:58:53 PT

Bong or Hookah and Smoking Fruit!
I saw this on TV. Will they make them get rid of Hookahs that people use to smoke fruit? I don't think so. Hooked On Hookahs?New Smoking Trend Concerns Health OfficialsNovember 25, 2002LOS ANGELES -- It's not tobacco, marijuana or crack cocaine, but this latest teen smoking fad has health officials very concerned. "It's fun. Something different," says a teen girl identified only as "Jackie." 
 
"It's very romantic... very seductive," claims Mark Ascar, of Hookah Bros. "The fact is, they are getting into a habit that may ultimately kill them," says cancer specialist Dr. Herman Kattlove, of the American Cancer Society. What are these people talking about? It's called hookah and it is centuries old, originating in the Mideast. It is now catching on here as an exotic and enticing type of smoke. "You don't get light-headed. It's just a very relaxing, very aromatic, just a very comfortable feeling," says Ascar of the practice. It is not a drug and it will not get you high. It is not illegal. So what is actually being smoked? It's a mixture that is 30 percent tobacco and 70 percent fruit and molasses. "We don't know about the health effects of smoking fruit," says Kattlove. But experts do know that it is becoming popular in the United States -- particularly with teens. About five years ago, hookahs were nowhere to be seen on the map. Today, it is one of the fastest growing segments in the smoking industry. Ascar is the founder of Hookah Bros., a company that distributes pipes to an increasing number of hookah bars all across the country. "When you are with your friends... it's a lot of fun," explains Jackie. Part of the appeal with teenagers is the fruity flavors. Jackie's teen friend, "Neda," runs down the list of just some of the available flavors: "Double apple, honey apple, orange, peach, melon, raspberry, watermelon." Jackie and Neda are examples of the new hookah smoker. Both are 18, legally old enough to buy tobacco, but neither of them smokes cigarettes. "It does not smell like smoking -- like secondhand smoke, where you are like, 'oh man, cough, cough'.... Not like that. It smells a lot better," says Neda. The popularity of hookah use by non-smokers -- especially teenagers -- has raised red flags in the health community. "I think hookahs are very dangerous," says Kattlove. "Nicotine is an addictive substance. As soon as they begin to feel good about smoking -- they are going to take up cigarettes." Fans of the hookah stress this smoke is different. You can't carry a hookah around like a pack of cigarettes and it is therefore less likely to become habit forming. "It's not addicting at all, because I do it on occasion," says Jackie. "This is something that you are going to be smoking once a week or once a month," says Ascar. But experts say any exposure to nicotine is dangerous. "Some teenagers can develop an addiction within a few days of starting smoking," says Kattlove. Each day, 3,000 California teens begin using some kind of tobacco, and one in three of them will ultimately die from tobacco use. But people like Ascar insist that the hookah is more about being social than smoking. Still, doctors say you cannot ignore the health risks. If you would like tips for quitting smoking, please visit: The American Cancer Society. http://www.nbc4.tv/news/1802942/detail.html
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Comment #12 posted by freedom fighter on March 14, 2003 at 17:29:48 PT

How so compelling!
"No one smokes tobacco from a bong." Well, that has not been proven because I yet to hear from DEA agents invading someone's house because he/she smoked tobacco from a bong. I am pretty certain that not one soul has ever been arrested or thrown in a jail for smoking tobacco. Then, Mr. Batista stated, "Not to mention incarcerating as many major drug dealers as possible." How so compelling! There you go, a breath of a fresh air, at least you are saying you had a compelling reason to persecute the marijuana user and a pipe blower.What a bunch of crock this dirtbag is!ff
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Comment #11 posted by Imprint on March 14, 2003 at 17:05:40 PT

I can already see it. 
On some corner, downtown some where in America a drug dealer will say to some kid, “Hey kid, thanks for buying the crack from me, by the way do you want to buy a crack pipe to go with your crack?” And a whole new underground industry is born. No taxation, regulation and no safety. I don't know, maybe I'm just having a "Pipe Dream".
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Comment #10 posted by mayan on March 14, 2003 at 17:04:14 PT

Seriously?
"Operation Pipe Dreams" has removed yet another tool from the drug dealers' toolbox. Without the little plastic bags or other items sold in paraphernalia shops, the street dealer has a difficult time distributing drugs and drug users have a difficult time using drugs.Is this guy serious? Just say NO to the war on Iraq!March 15 EMERGENCY CONVERGENCE ON THE WHITE HOUSE TO STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ(with parallel actions in San Francisco & Los Angeles)
http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m15/index.html
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Comment #9 posted by billos on March 14, 2003 at 14:10:49 PT:

 Re: Earnie Batista Article
Hey Earnie, what the hell have YOU been smoking? 
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Comment #8 posted by TecHnoCult on March 14, 2003 at 11:53:22 PT

Cheap Shots?
Instead of being the targets of cheap shots, DEA, and other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the state and federal prosecutors should be commended for their efforts in our region.What, are they high? They should be commended for waging war on a legitimate culture in our society? Are they really this dumb, or are they just liars?THC
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Comment #7 posted by i420 on March 14, 2003 at 11:35:53 PT

"Tar n feather drug warriors"
Tar n feather ain't good enough for the author of this rubbish. Maybe we need to get back to the "old ways" of influencing public opinion. 
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Comment #6 posted by pokesmotter on March 14, 2003 at 09:58:14 PT:

title wrong
who is not worthy of compassion?
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Comment #5 posted by 2Spooky on March 14, 2003 at 09:31:05 PT

what tripe
I hope someone who lives there, and/or one of the spokesfolk for NORML, etc take the time to rebutt this.
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Comment #4 posted by Max Flowers on March 14, 2003 at 09:08:43 PT

Try not to
I know it's disillusioning, but try to see the damage they do to their own case and cause *every* time they spout this garbage, because they lose credibility incrementally with each flaccid utterance.I bet it was similar when in the Vietnam war era (I was only a little kid), the people who were trying to argue why we should stay in Vietnam must have sounded more and more ridiculous until finally it was clear that they were to be ignored completely because what they were advocating continuing bordered on the criminal, and popular will finally prevailed.
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Comment #3 posted by druid on March 14, 2003 at 09:07:35 PT

College President busted for growing
Did you guys see that already? Well now they are charging his whole family with cultivation.http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/20734630.htmlCollege chief's kin face pot charges, too
By RANK SANTIAGO and TOM ALEX
Register Staff Writer
03/14/2003 The wife, daughter and teenage son of Des Moines Area Community College President David England were charged Thursday in connection with an alleged marijuana-trafficking operation that drug agents say was run out of the family's college-subsidized home in Johnston.Also Thursday, a check of Texas court records showed that England, who was arrested a day earlier in the Johnston case, was convicted of marijuana possession in 1971 as a 19-year-old college student. He spent five years on probation.---------------------------snip-------------------------
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Comment #2 posted by druid on March 14, 2003 at 08:32:27 PT

bleh :(
"Operation Pipe Dreams" has removed yet another tool from the drug dealers' toolbox. Without the little plastic bags or other items sold in paraphernalia shops, the street dealer has a difficult time distributing drugs and drug users have a difficult time using drugs. Ever hear of a paper seal. I remember those. Mostly made from cutup playboys and stuff. :) Ever hear of sandwich baggies? AFAIK those are the most popular form of storage medium not the little baggies that a lot of these "headshops" had to sell their body jewelery in. Ever hear of aluminum cans to smoke out of or how about perfectly legal Zig-Zags or better yet an item you are going to find in everyone's house, aluminum foil. I know let's make lightbulbs illegal so no one can modify a light bulb into a homemade vaporizer. Oh and yea we better ban soldering guns and heat guns cos those are both used a lot in constucting vaporizers. The statement quoted above is the most asinine statement I have ever heard. No one is going to have a more difficult time doing anything. I can still get glass pipes and bongs but I am just going to have to pay a little more because now it has all gone underground. The glass blowers are all still there it's just that now they will have to find another way to peddle their wares. That's really the only thing that was made more difficult.Paraphernalia shops are driven by profit and have no interest in the welfare, safety and health of our children. They could care less. They are making millions of dollars and I seriously doubt that many are paying taxes on their income. Never mind that the headshops are licensed by both the city and the state and conduct business just like everyone else in the area. Did you guys see that 50 glass blowers are now out of work in Eugene, I guess those guys aren't paying taxes right now.
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Comment #1 posted by 420toker on March 14, 2003 at 08:32:21 PT

More emotional drivel
More emotional drivel with no real substance and ignoring the blatent obvios truth, Drugs = money because drugs are illegle, money = power and always has. We all see where the link should be severed and how. I get so disillusioned with garbage like this constantly being churned out
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