STRATHCONA POLITICIAN HOPES PUBLIC WILL HELP ENSURE IT'S BEDTIME FOR
BONG SHOW AT SHERWOOD PARK STORE

Strathcona County Coun. Jason Gariepy swears that he has never lit up
a joint, but he sure knows how to spark a debate.

If he gets his way, it will be bye-bye to bongs in Sherwood Park.

The county council has already slammed the door on casinos, thrown
cold water on adult-only video stores and imposed a curfew on anyone
under the age of 18, so it was only a matter of time before it took
aim at potheads.

Last week Gariepy, a former provincial government spokesman, wrote a
column in the Sherwood Park News calling on all decent, law-abiding
citizens to boycott Molly's Mini Mart, a convenience store
strategically located within a few hundred metres of two high schools
and the County Hall.

Molly's, you see, does a brisk trade in pipes, bongs and hookahs -
and that deeply offends Gariepy.

"The clear glass pipes are used for smoking illegal drugs, including
marijuana, crack cocaine and crystal meth," he wrote.

'NO FOOLS'

"Manufacturers of pipes and bongs are no fools. They make products
decorative, colourful, and attractive to market to kids. Several
pieces have been described as works of art."

Ever since Gariepy went public with his outrage, store owner Dale
Willis has been afraid to leave his wife Molly alone at the shop at
1995 Brentwood Blvd.

"In the last week or so, at least six people have come into the
store, yelling and screaming," Molly said yesterday.

'REALLY FRIGHTENING'

"A couple have been really frightening."

Interestingly, however, the call for a boycott has failed to put a
damper on business.

"We're as busy as ever," Molly said, "for now, at least. We'll see
what happens."

Salisbury Composite High School student Noel Wysocki, a regular at
Molly's, can't understand what all the fuss is about.

"The people who used to own this store sold the same stuff, and
nobody complained," he said.

"Besides, anything that people use to an excessive amount can become
an addiction, whether it's drugs, gambling or anything else - and
these guys are not promoting that in any way."

Molly says that when they bought the shop a year ago, the previous
owners left behind some of the glass pipes they had been selling.

She realized that some of them could be used for smoking crack or
meth - regular bongs and pipes are very inefficient for smoking
crystallized drugs.

"We threw them all out," she said. "Everything we sell can be used to
smoke tobacco. I've seen what hard drugs can do to people's lives."

EVERYTHING IS LEGAL

Molly said police have been in the store and told her everything is legal.

And that is what Gariepy finds so frustrating.

He acknowledges that bongs and pipes are perfectly legal. In the eyes
of the law, they're only "drug paraphernalia" if residue from illegal
substances is found on them.

All the "questionable accessories" are in a glass case right at the
cash register, "so you can't avoid it. Everyone who buys something at
Molly's has to walk up to that case."

Gariepy can't understand why the provincial government would ban
tobacco "power walls" to keep cigarettes out of the public eye, but
allow bongs to be sold alongside slush-making machines and candy bar racks.

"It's a huge inconsistency," he said.

Gariepy said he's been inundated with e-mails and phone calls on the
issue, the vast majority of which support his stand.

"I want to have a public discussion on this," he said. "We should
explore our options."

Molly said they had originally planned to build a wall to separate
the bongs from the rest of the merchandise and prevent anyone under
the age of 16 from even seeing it.

"But now that this vigilante witch hunt has been started, no way," she said.

"If people want to talk to us about it like mature adults, we're more
than willing. But we're not going to be pushed around, either."