SALES STILL HIGH FOR ITHACA HEAD SHOPS

More than half a year after the Department of Justice's Drug
Enforcement Agency (DEA) launched initiatives against the sale of drug
paraphernalia, Ithaca's head shops are showing no sign of giving up
their business. The operations, nicknamed Headhunter and Pipe Dreams,
have already brought more than 55 indictments, including the
much-publicised arrest of Tommy Chong, of Cheech and Chong fame, who
received nine months of prison time and a large fine for peddling his
wares.

Stores on the Ithaca Commons, however, aren't letting the DEA
strong-arm them. They claim that their pipes are only intended for
tobacco and other legal substances. "We're going to stay open until
they close us down, because we're not selling anything illegal," an
employee at one store said. A 3-D Light clerk expressed similar views.
"You can't tell me what that's going to smoke," he said, referring to
a waterpipe on display.

The stores, however, seem to disagree on the effect that the DEA's
operations will have on their business. Immediately after the
initiative began, rumors spread that stores in Ithaca would stop
selling pipes and other paraphernalia, causing prices to fluctuate.
Prices have since stabilized, but a Commons store employee said that
customers are still confused. "Every single person [who comes in],"
she said, "90 percent will be like, 'what's happening?'" She says that
concern about the store's future has bumped up business as customers
hurry to purchase products before the government threatens to close
down the stores. The clerk at 3-D Light, however, disagreed, stating
that customers are not worried or do not know about the possible threat.

Other stores contacted in the Ithaca area refused to comment to The
Sun, citing a need to remain cautious in light of the crackdown.

The DEA's operations have been a matter of controversy from the start.
Officials in the Department of Justice insist that water pipes and
bongs are clearly intended primarily for the consumption of illegal
drugs, but pipe sellers disagree. A store employee questioned how the
government can claim that such products are intended for marijuana
when plenty of legal substances, such as salvia and sage, are
primarily smoked out of such products. Further, every time she sells a
waterpipe or other smoking device, she offers the customer a legal
substance. Approximately half of her customers take her up on her offer.

The DEA's operations have brought indictments across the nation, from
Pennsylvania to Oregon. They have also focused heavily on online
stores. Attorney General John Ashcroft, in a press release issued Feb.
24, 2003, said that "with the advent of the Internet, the illegal drug
paraphernalia industry has exploded," adding that the industry has
"invaded the homes of families across the country without their
knowledge." According to Operation Pipe Dream's website, drug
paraphernalia is defined under federal law as "those products that are
primarily intended or designed to be used in ingesting, inhaling or
otherwise using controlled substances."

Asked about the war on drugs in general, the clerk at 3-D Light noted
that certain drugs, such as pharmaceuticals, are very harmful, and
suggested that the government is not doing enough to curb abuse of
these substances. He added that certain states, such as Pennsylvania
and Massachusetts, are stricter than others. The Commons employee was
more vocal: "John Ashcroft should have a water pipe strapped to him
and he should be force-fed marijuana, see if it's so bad. And he
should have to smoke until he's high."

This source added that marijuana has many beneficial effects. Hemp,
she said, could save our environment since one tree can be replaced by
four hemp plants, and its oil could save us from our natural resource
deficiencies. She also noted that marijuana helps get rid of stress,
which she said is the cause of 70 percent of illnesses. Both she and
the clerk at 3-D Light are in favor of the legalization of marijuana.
"I definitely wish there was a way to end the drug war," she said,
adding that her already precarious position as an employee in a store
that sells waterpipes prevents her from taking a more vocal role.

For now, however, the stores do not have any plans to halt sales or
take any other steps. For 3-D Light at least, it's just "business as
usual."