PRESSURE BETTER THAN LEGISLATION, SAYS LES

Solicitor General John Les says public pressure is the best way to
drive drug paraphernalia out of local corner stores and gas stations.

"I think when individuals decide they have had enough they can be
tremendous allies, and sometimes even more effective than
(legislation)," he told the Progress Friday.

Les repeated earlier statements made by Mayor Clint Hames, that the
public needs to be vocal about businesses who sell crack pipes and
other drug-related items. There currently is no legislation or by-law
regulating the sale of drug paraphernalia.

Les said the onus lies with business owners, who need to "rely on
their morals" when deciding what to stock in their stores.

"I agree with the mayor 1000 per cent that this should not be
happening," Les said. "I think store owners who knowingly sell these
materials ought to be ashamed of themselves. It is shameful and
reprehensible. They know full well what these items are being used
for."

The mayor has spent the last year in discussions with a local business
owner who chooses to sell these items, trying to persuade him to stop
selling crack pipes and bongs, and other associated items.

But his pleas have fallen on deaf ears, despite the fact that the
store is in close proximity to an elementary school.

Les isn't sure whether any legislation could properly regulate drug
paraphernalia sales, because certain items are used legally.

"There is nothing on the books that says you can't sell a pipe to
someone," he said. "And if some elderly man likes to smoke his
favourite tobacco in a pipe, you don't want to make it difficult for
him to buy a pipe."

But there needs to be a moral line in the sand, Les
said.

"This is where legislation stops and common sense has to take over,"
he said. "They are facilitating behaviour at the end of the day that
is horribly destructive. Setting aside the criminal element, think of
the person who is buying the pipe, and then smoking crystal meth."

Les said concerned residents should be voicing their concerns directly
to store owners, and informing both the municipality and his own
office as MLA as to where these businesses are operating.

"They probably should be addressing both of us," he said. "I, for one,
am interested in finding out about where these stores are."