CITY TOUGHENS DRUG PARAPHERNALIA POLICY

The Scourge Of The Scouring Pads Soon Will Be Over.

In a letter to convenience store owners approved unanimously Wednesday, the
Las Vegas City Council says it will move to revoke the liquor license of
any store owner who sells controversial items that police claim commonly
are used as drug paraphernalia.

The letter warns that selling legal items such as "glass pipes, pieces of
scouring pads, individual razors, single cigarettes and small plastic
baggies" will result in disciplinary action. The city's business licensing
office soon will begin inspecting stores throughout the city to make sure
their shelves are free of such items.

In recent months, the City Council has revoked the liquor licenses of three
West Las Vegas convenience stores that sold such items, after complaints
from Councilman Lawrence Weekly, who represents that area.

Until Weekly brought up the issue, the City Council rarely revoked liquor
licenses from existing businesses. Mayor Oscar Goodman and Councilman Larry
Brown noted at the time that the city could be setting a dangerous
precedent if it didn't apply the policy to all convenience stores.
Wednesday's letter was an attempt at creating that parity.

Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald said that the new policy might unfairly
penalize legitimate businesses for selling legal items.

But the letter states that store owners selling the controversial items
should know the items often are used to smoke crack cocaine. "There is a
presumption ... that an operator who would knowingly violate the state's
drug paraphernalia laws in their convenience store should also be deemed of
such character to be unable to comply with legal restrictions pertaining to
alcohol sales," the letter notes.