NEW CITY BYLAW: SHOP OWNERS AGREE TO COMPLY

Continued Policing Will Be Needed In The Fight Against The Sale Of
Drug Paraphernalia, According To A City Official.

Drug paraphernalia is expected to be cleared out of town in the next
couple of weeks, as Langley City shop owners known to sell
drug-related items have vowed to follow an impending City bylaw.

A bylaw set to pass final reading at Monday's City council meeting
will prohibit the future sale of drug paraphernalia in the community,
and place strict regulations upon existing paraphernalia dealers.

After meeting with the owners of five shops that have been known to
sell items such as bongs, pipes, and rolling papers, Langley RCMP
Const. Laurine Croshaw and City building inspector Tim Hickey have
been assured such items will be taken off the corner stores' shelves.

The real test, however, will be whether the shop owners stick to
their word, Hickey said.

"What they say and what they do may not be the same thing," he said.
"All in all, the downtown businesses are honest people, but a
supplier comes once a month and tells [shop owners] they can make
money on [drug paraphernalia] so they buy it and see whether or not
it's worthwhile."

Croshaw agreed that because of the prevalence of drug paraphernalia
suppliers, "it's a possibility that we will have to police" the
corner stores that have vowed to clear the shelves.

Hickey and Croshaw visited Pipe 'N Pouch, Douglas Park Market, and
Main Spot News recently and received positive comments.

"I anticipated compliance and that's why we did the walk through," Hickey said.

The pair finished their walk through Wednesday morning as they
visited Stop 'N Shop, 20171 56th Ave., and Limited Editions, 20305 Fraser Hwy.

"That's okay, I agree with you. No problem," said Stop 'N Shop owner
Jasbir Singh, when confronted by the officials.

Singh, who carried a small case of pipes in his store, told Hickey
and Croshaw that he would get rid of the equipment and that it
wouldn't make a difference to him financially.

"We make maybe $2,000 a year on it and that's not much money," he
told the two officials.

Hickey and Croshaw also visited the last store, Limited Editions,
whose owner told them that he had sold the paraphernalia for a couple
of months and it sold well, but that he got rid of it as soon as he
heard about the proposed bylaw.

It's imperative to have continued community support in regulating the
bylaw, Croshaw said.

"If you see anybody selling it, let us know," she said of the public.
"We need to stop making excuses for these people."

Croshaw is also waiting on Crown approval to make it easier for
police to act on this issue.

Approval would see a stipulation taken out of the criminal code that
states owners are responsible for "knowingly" selling the items,
which she said can create a lot of problems.

"Unless you're 90 years old, you know what it is," she said. "You
know what you're selling. Why should [drug paraphernalia dealers]
make money on someone else's misery? We need to look at addiction as
a horrible, horrible thing."

The bylaw will go forward at Monday's City council meeting at city
hall, 20399 Douglas Cres., at 7 p.m.