Alderman wants to ganja up on head shops but owners doobieous

Monday, March 17, 2008

Alderman wants to ganja up on head shops but owners doobieous
The Calgary Sun - Alderman wants to ganja up on head shops but owners doobieous

By MICHAEL PLATT
The Calgary Sun

Like trying to swat mosquitoes with a hammer, there's bound to be collateral damage if city council pushes ahead with an attempt to ban crack pipes in Calgary.

Ban one pipe, and you ban them all -- that's the fear of the local cannabis community, as city council debates the issue today.

That aldermen would consider prohibiting paraphernalia has Calgary bong and pipe purveyors uptight -- they say politicians are meddling in a perfectly legal business.

And they're right, technically.

But morally right? At least one politician, Ald. Ric McIver, says he determined to shut down the business of supplying tools to drug users, no matter what's being smoked.

"They can cry if they want to, and it may be legal, but it's not good for the city. We owe it to our young people to try and stop this," said Ald. Ric McIver.

"Making drug paraphernalia available to young people is not serving any higher purpose in society."

The recommendation to aldermen says city council should order a crackdown using existing licensing laws.

If police connect narcotic use with a store -- say someone caught smoking drugs with a pipe that can be traced to a retailer -- the city can yank the store's business licence. For the retailer, it would mean serious fines, or even a shut-down for repeat offences.

The issue was originally raised in a bid to punish downtown convenience stores openly selling glass tubes, which are useful only to crack smokers. But McIver says all paraphernalia shops should be punished, and he wants the city to use every tool at its disposal to make life miserable for suppliers.

He plans to push for an amendment to that effect, asking city officials to draft a bylaw capable of smashing the paraphernalia trade.

"If we can't make it illegal, we can certainly make it difficult for them," he said.

"And if regulating product sales is beyond the scope of a municipal council, we need to lobby other levels of government for stronger laws."

It's a hazy issue, and not just because one side in the debate has a habit of burning organic matter and inhaling the smoke though elaborate glassware.

Of course, we're talking about tobacco -- because despite the plethora of cannabis literature and pot-leafed merchandise scattered throughout modern head shops, the pipes sold are officially meant for tobacco.

That's officially as in approved by Revenue Canada: the shops are taxed the same way as the local tobacconist who sells a tin full of Dutch cavendish.

And that's why the paraphernalia crackdown is going to be a ticklish issue, one that could drag the City of Calgary into an expensive legal battle with shops like the Hemporium and Next Level.

"If it results in charges, we'll fight them in court, and then we'll go back to the city with anything we can get -- malicious prosecution, damages, et cetera," said Tim Person, co-owner of the Hemporium.

The Criminal Code of Canada prohibits the sale of "instruments or literature for illicit drug use," which explains why stores like the Hemporium stick to the tobacco story.

But Person doesn't hide his pro-pot leanings either, and he says McIver is trying to use bylaws to change ideals.

"Trying to legislate morality doesn't work," he said.

"No one under the age of 65 is going to believe a shop like mine promotes drug use -- people have already made that decision long before they come in here."

As much as he is in favour of legalized cannabis, Person is against drugs like crack, and he says his shop will never sell anything that would make smoking cocaine easier.

That's a stance echoed by Kent Iwaniuk, who works at The Next Level in Forest Lawn.

He says blaming legal pipe sales for all drug problems is unfair.

"If I go and buy a gun and shoot someone, they don't charge the store, they charge the person," he said.

A four-month investigation saw police seizing 3,000 pipes from a number of Calgary head shops last year, one of which closed permanently after marijuana and hash oil was found onsite.

At the Hemporium, Person said a paraphernalia store's best defence is to stay squeaky clean -- and he challenges the city to find him doing something illegal.

"Instead of changing the law, they should just send undercover agents around from time to time," he said.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Should paraphernalia found in head shops be banned?
The Calgary Sun: CALGARYSUN Readers Response

LTE Contact: [email protected]

On line comment submitted...

Ric McIver didn't learn from the past mistakes when ex aldermen Craig Burrows started this waste of taxpayers dollars and he lost his seat in city council.
Mr. McIver needs to take some time to educate himself properly before wasting taxpayers dollars on his grandstanding with empty threats.
Canada does have legal medical cannabis program in place for close to 7 years now.
Many times over science has shown cannabis needs to be made legal.
Instead McIver wants to play the I will to ignore the science and force the citizens of Calgary to live as I want them to live and I will use their tax dollars to do it too!
Well Ric McIver enjoy your next 2 and half years because your dinosaur way of thinking is extinct just like you will be out of a taxpayer funded job next election.

Keith Fagin

LTE sent....

Ric McIver didn't learn from past mistakes when ex aldermen Craig Burrows started this waste of taxpayers dollars and he lost his seat in city council.

Our group took the time and made the effort to lead a campaign last September to get rid of Ald. Craig Burrows for this same waste of taxpayer dollar nonsense.

His grandstanding wasting taxpayer dollars is going to cost him big time from now until the next election when he gets the boot by Calgary citizens.

We will work hard to make sure Ald Ric McIver will be looking for a new job next election as well.
Our campaign to get rid of Ald. Ric McIver starts NOW! We have 2 and half years to educate Calgarians with the truth to boot.


Keith Fagin

Also contact please the bad Aldermen Ric Mclver via on line form.

Aldermanic Contact from Web Input Form

Name: Keith Fagin

Address: ***-****** Calgary, AB

Community: MARLBOROUGH PARK

Ward:

Email: [email protected]

Phone1: ********

Phone1_Type: Home

Phone2: 863-2071

Phone2_Type: Work

UserFAX: ********

Subject: Alderman wants to ganja up on head shops but owners doobieous

Comments: Last September (only one month) we campaigned hard against Ald. Craig Burrows (the aldermen that started this waste of taxpayer dollars last year) and he lost his city council seat in the October civic election.

It appears you learned nothing!

Our large group has two and half years to lead a campaign against your serious waste of taxpayer money.

Science has stated many times over cannabis must be legalized!

We are going to use science and the truth for the next two and half years to properly educate Calgarians about your grandstanding to try to force all others to live as you see fit.

Lastly Canada does have a legal medical cannabis program in place for 7 years now. Tell us where are these legal cannabis consumers to get a delivery device?

ReplyRequested: YES

Sent: 3/17/08 - 9:43:58 AM

Fu** that a**hole.

The on line comments are adding up. Come on folks take a few minutes and help flood them with comments.

If they get away with this here who and what will be next?

The Calgary Sun - Alderman wants to ganja up on head shops but owners doobieous

Keith

Get a bunch of people to buy pipes and walk aroud the city smoking tobacco through them.
Just kinda screw with the police, and demonstrate the differentiated uses of such products labeled specificaly drug paraphernalia.