SURF CITY HEARS COMPLAINTS ABOUT DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

SURF CITY - The Surf City Town Council could crack down on drug
paraphernalia sold in beach shops next week, depending on the outcome
of a public hearing on the issue.

A number of tourists and residents have complained to the Surf City
Police Department during the summer that the glass pipes, bongs,
grinders, screens and various other related items sold in beach shops
are not appropriate.

"A lot of tourists come down here with their kids and see all of
these bong pipes and obvious gadgets for ingesting narcotics and
drugs and they get upset about it," said Surf City Police Chief
Michael Halstead. "They ask us why we can't take it out of there, but
we don't have an ordinance or a state law against it."

Town officials asked the town attorney to draw up a possible
ordinance making such items illegal within the town. A public hearing
will be held on the ordinance on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in the Surf City Town Hall.

Should it pass, it would label certain items as "unlawful," including
various types of pipes, roach clips, bongs, smoking carburetion
masks, wired cigarette papers and other paraphernalia.

Surf City Mayor A.D. "Zander" Guy said it is an important issue to consider.

"Certainly, I don't favor drugs and anything we can do to curtail
sending any kind of message about them will be beneficial," he said.
"But that is the purpose of the public hearing - for the public's
input. So, we'll see what happens."

Colorful glass pipes and bongs were still on display behind glass
cases in some beach stores over the weekend. There were also a number
of grinders, screens and other items, some labeled "for tobacco use only."

A few beach shops had already closed for the season. Managers at
Wings and Eagles, both located on the island, said they had never
carried the paraphernalia.

Others who do sell the items said that doing so wasn't the crux of
the drug problem.

"If I'm not going to sell it here, someone else is in a different
city," said store manager Sammy Alofer of Waves, a shop located along
N.C. 50 that has three cases full of glass pipes and bongs. "These
people that use these things for drugs will get them on the Internet
anyway. The bigger problem is the people who sell the drugs and use
them. You have to help the people first. We need to educate people to
the bad effects of drugs."

He maintains that he regularly checks identification and doesn't sell
the items to anyone under 21.

"A pregnant lady even came in once and tried to buy (a glass pipe)
and I wouldn't sell it," he said.

Some people collect the pipes for decorative purposes in their home,
Alofer said. He compared the situation to the knives that his and
other beach shops sell.

"They collect them for the looks of the knives and swords," he said.
"But if someone took a knife and went out and murdered someone with
it, is it my fault for selling it?"

Ken Pack, owner of Ken's Gifts, located on North Topsail Drive,
agreed, saying drug users would find another way.

"They tell me you can make pipes out of anything - cans, apples,"
said Pack, whose store sold glass pipes and grinders until this week.
"You can buy them anywhere. If you ask me, there are more important
things to worry about than that."

Pack took the glass pipes and grinders off his shelves when he heard
about the possible ordinance.

"I took them off the shelves because I didn't want to offend
anybody," he said. "No one has ever said anything in my shop about it before."

He began selling the items this year because other beach shops were
doing so, he said.

"It was also because I had so many people coming in and asking for
them," Pack said. "The other stores were jacking the prices up so
high; I thought I could mark them up only a little bit and still make
a profit."

But if the ordinance is voted down, Ken's Gifts will have the pipes
back on the shelves.

"The way I look at it is, if it's not illegal, then I plan on selling
it," he said.

Alofer said he didn't care either way.

"It wouldn't even bother me to not have it in the store," he said. "I
don't even smoke cigarettes. I only sell them because the other
stores do - it's your competition."