VARIETY OF METHODS HELP USERS GET HIGH

Some local marijuana users are connoisseurs it seems, according to a
new demand for pot-related devices.

Robert Ritchot earns a good living through his hemp and gift stores
that are spreading across Canada.

He acknowledges some of that success is based on purchases by
marijuana users.

"There's definitely a lot of customers who smoke marijuana," said
Ritchot, owner of the B.O.B. Headquarters stores located at 10th and
18th streets.

Judging by the variety of multicoloured pipes Ritchot has in stock,
they like to use a variety of techniques and technology.

Vapourizers, which make the drug taste better and are easier on the
lungs, have been around for years, but have grown more popular lately.

"I think vapourizers are the biggest thing," Ritchot said.

"There's a lot of people who want the benefits of marijuana ... but
they don 't like to smoke," Ritchot said, explaining some people may
use the plant for medicinal purposes.

The top-of-the-line vapourizer at B.O.B Headquarters is the $900
Volcano, which heats the drug without using fire.

"It heats up just to the point that the active ingredients in the
marijuana is released," Ritchot said. "You're not inhaling any
carcinogens, there's no burning."

The device is a metal contraption with knobs and a transparent bag
attached to the top. Users inhale the vapours from the bag. Cheaper
versions sell for $180 and $49.

The time-honoured hookah, used for years in India and Turkey, is
making a comeback, too. One version, which Ritchot sells for $90,
looks like a glass bowl with a metal candle stick resting on top.

A hose sprouts from its mid-section.

The apparatus filters the smoke through water which cools the vapour
and strips away carcinogens, Ritchot said.

Other versions have multiple hoses and can be attached so friends can
share.

Marijuana can be blended with shisha, a mix of molasses and fruits, to
improve taste when using the hookah.

A pack of shisha with tobacco costs $9, but it's $3.98 for the herbal
version.