BANNING DRUG PARAPHERNALIA A THORNY ISSUE

White Rock council members may need education in the potential uses
of drug paraphernalia such as bongs, papers and pipes - if they are
to effectively ponder banning sale of the equipment in the city.

Council members declared their lack of knowledge in this area Monday
night, while endorsing Coun. Catherine Ferguson's motion for a staff
report on prohibiting the paraphernalia.

The motivation for the report is commendable. This may not have been
seen as a high-profile problem to now, yet such paraphernalia
continues to find a place on store shelves within the city.

We support the city's moves to promote healthy lifestyles and uphold
our values to both visitors and residents, and appearing to support
illicit drug use is certainly not in the best interests of the city.

But there may be a point where city investigation of the matter
becomes prohibitively expensive.

Although city manager Peggy Clark says compiling such a report will
take minimal staff involvement, the subsequent issues of framing a
workable bylaw may be thorny and convoluted.

Administrations and jurisdictions across Canada have wrestled, and
continue to wrestle, with similar bylaws.

The underlying problem is that the paraphernalia itself is not
illegal under the laws of Canada. And while the supposition exists
that it will be used in the consumption of illegal drugs, it is
possible, if not probable, that its uses could be innocent.

Guns are not illegal in Canada, although they can clearly be put to
criminal use. Their sale, of course, is subject to licence and
regulation. This has been the route taken by several jurisdictions
with drug paraphernalia, rather than prohibition.

Langley City, for instance, has opted to license businesses to sell
items viewed as drug paraphernalia, but has also required purchasers
to have their names in a database that is available to the RCMP. But
this, in itself, may create an outcry among those who feel that this
infringes on civil liberties.

Other jusidictions have limited the sale of items to certain areas,
much as businesses, such as strip clubs and massage parlours, have
been confined to specific geographical limits.

But to what extent can a city criminalize the sale of items that are
not illegal?

This is an issue that could take far more than a single staff report
to settle - and could well have repercussions that extend beyond
current council intentions.