RESIDENT CALLS FOR LAW BANNING DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

At least one Weatherford resident is fed up with the availability of
drug paraphernalia, specifically glass pipes, within the city.

James Hamilton wrote an e-mail to city council members and the mayor
earlier this week suggesting a law be placed on the books making it
illegal to purchase the pipes under what he calls "the laughable
disclaimer, ‘for recreational use only.'"

Hamilton lives with his family in the Clear Lake area of Weatherford
and frequently purchases gasoline, ice and other incidentals at a
convenience store at the intersection of Clear Lake Road and
Interstate 20.

On a recent visit to the store, while waiting in line, he noticed
about a dozen of the pipes displayed for sale.

"It would have been extremely difficult for me NOT to notice them,"
Hamilton wrote to the city fathers. "Any law enforcement official
could identify these devices as meth pipes or pipes used expressly
for the purpose of smoking/ingesting methamphetamines or other
illegal substances."

Hamilton went on to insist the toll illegal drugs takes on the
community is a high one.

"Meth kills," he said. "It's as simple as that. It kills its users
and destroys their families. It causes irreparable brain damage to
children who breathe its fumes. It keeps our local law enforcement
agencies working overtime. It ties up our district courts. It keeps
child protective services and court appointed volunteers far more
active than they need to be."

He added the sale of drug paraphernalia runs against what most
residents stand for.

"Given the recent grant secured by Parker County to increase the
district attorney's efforts to combat the manufacture and sale of
methamphetamines, it seems the ability of a business to flaunt and,
in reality, glorify the use of illegal and deadly drugs runs counter
to this community's standards of decency."

He wound up his note to the council with a call for stiff penalties
for business owners who "openly encourage the use of illegal drugs."

A cashier at the store named by Hamilton was shy about answering
questions Tuesday about uses for the pipes on display.

"I don't know," she said when asked why customers bought the pipes,
"but we sure sell a bunch of them."

She said the glass case, which held seven pipes priced between $14.99
and $19.99 Tuesday, had as many as 20 over the previous weekend.

In her response to Hamilton's call for a city ordinance, acting City
Manager Jennifer Fadden pointed out enforcement of a law like
Hamilton is suggesting is difficult.

"Businesses carrying this type of paraphernalia can become a problem
and they certainly do not reflect well on our community," she wrote.
"Ordinances to prohibit such sales are common in other communities;
however, the enforcement of such an ordinance has become problematic
in recent years."

She explained in her e-mail authorities must prove the intended use
of the item is for illegal purposes. She did, however, say the matter
would be shared with Weatherford police.

"The Police Department will approach this business owner and any
others that we learn about and see if we can first get voluntary
compliance," Fadden said. "We will continue to study the issue from
an enforcement perspective should voluntary compliance not prove
effective and take the steps necessary to address this issue in our
community."

In a Tuesday phone interview, Fadden lamented methamphetamine
manufacturing and use as a blight on the city.

"It's certainly a very real problem, not just in our community, but
in society overall," she said. "It's a public issue and we need to
deal with it as a community."

Hamilton said the city's response to his e-mail was acceptable, "for
the time being."

"I'm eager to see if the business does voluntarily remove the pipes,"
he said. "If they don't, we need to institute more stringent measures."

Fadden said Hamilton's complaint was the first she's heard addressing
the issue of the sale of drug paraphernalia in Weatherford.