POPULAR ROSE TUBE CRACKDOWN

WALTHAM -- While it may be intended to brighten a loved one's
spirits, an item being sold at convenience stores and gas stations
throughout the city could actually be used as a pipe for smoking
crack cocaine, according to City Councilor Sarafina "Sally" Collura.

Referred to as a "rose tube," the sealed four-inch glass vial
containing a miniature fake flower can be found on convenience store
counters next to lighters and jars of candy. Collura said she was
informed about the unintended use of rose tubes by a friend who is a
recovered drug addict.

"I couldn't envision how the rose tube was used as drug
paraphernalia, but my friend explained that addicts simply remove the
fake flower and use the vial as a crack cocaine pipe," said Collura.
"My ears immediately perked up and I decided to look into it."

Collura said she first spotted the Sweetheart Rose, a brand-name rose
tube, in Waltham at the Store 24 on High Street, where they are sold
for 99 cents. After a brief conversation with a clerk at the store,
Collura said her fears were realized.

"The clerk told me it's the biggest selling item in the store," she
said. "It's just a little gimmick gift, but people are actually using
them to smoke crack."

Collura said the clerk informed her that those who purchase rose
tubes usually buy several at a time, and added that the store has
also recently had problems with people stealing baking soda from the
cleaning aisle. Baking soda is a common ingredient used in producing
crack cocaine.

After purchasing a rose tube from the store, Collura said she decided
to do some online research, which yielded information on numerous
cities and states across the country, including California, Michigan,
Milwaukee, Chicago and Albany, which have classified the tubes as
illegal drug paraphernalia.

Collura said she plans to bring up the issue at a future City Council
meeting, and hopes to have a resolution passed classifying the rose
tubes as drug paraphernalia in Waltham.

"I mostly want to spread awareness," she said. "It will get store
owners and police thinking more in terms of what else might be out
there being used as drug paraphernalia."

Collura said she has already contacted the Waltham Police Department
about the issue, and was told they were unaware about it. Waltham
Police said yesterday they have no comment.

"Police are often dealing with drugs and paraphernalia they know
about, and there are laws in place against possessing them," said
Collura. "But the rose tubes look innocent. People keep inventing a
better wheel, so addicts will just use something else when more
common paraphernalia is banned."

State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, said as a former prosecutor
in the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, he dealt with a number
of cases involving drug paraphernalia, and said it comes in all
shapes and sizes.

"It's difficult to declare something as paraphernalia, but the
definition I worked uncovers products or devices primarily designed
for the intent of ingesting drugs," said Koutoujian. "I'm not sure if
rose tubes have reached that level yet in Waltham, but they have in
other parts of the country. We should be trying to remove any object
that has really been designed for the use of drugs."

Yesterday, clerks at the Store 24 on High Street said they had no
comment and referred all questions to their corporate office. Store
24 is owned by Tedeschi Food Shops Inc., based in Waltham, which also
did not return phone calls yesterday. "I don't want it to sound like
these things are only available at Store 24," said Collura. "They're
available at lots of different locations."