DESPITE PARAPHERNALIA CRACKDOWN, WEED TRADE STILL STRONG

Despite the federal crackdown on drug paraphernalia sellers and
marijuana-related websites, several University of Wisconsin marijuana
sellers say their business remains stable.

One UW junior marijuana seller said marijuana use on campus is more casual
than people realize.

"It's not some dark underworld drug scene," he said. "The people who are
doing this are laid-back, relaxed people. You get it from your neighbor or
your friend down the street."

Another UW student and former seller said he was surprised by how
widespread the marijuana industry is in Madison, even in his workplace.

"My manager overheard me telling someone about the pipe sale, and he was
interested," he said. "Even the 36-year-old cook does it occasionally."

He said the university is unusual in that the marijuana sold is
exceptionally high-quality, and buyers usually assume to pay $50 per
1/8-ounce bag of marijuana.

One UW seller said the quality is always high because most of the drug
comes from local growers who take care of their plants and sell it to rich
university students who can afford the price. He said while areas in
Chicago and Minneapolis have experienced a lack of marijuana supply,
Madison's marijuana industry is thriving.

"It hasn't been dry in Madison at all; in Madison it seems like it never
runs out because there is such a market for it," he said.

However, one former marijuana seller and UW junior said he has noticed more
difficulty in obtaining the drug this semester and suggested tighter border
controls and inspections for terrorism security have contributed to his
difficulties.

But another seller said Madison dealers only work primarily through
Canada's border rather than Mexico's and experience only minor security
difficulties in crossing the border.

He said the dangers of selling the drug on campus appear nonexistent, but
the risk becomes greater the farther it is transported. He said dealing is
like a "phone tree," and sellers usually only know the person they obtained
the marijuana from and the person they are selling it to in order to
protect each other.

A UW sophomore and marijuana user said he is always cautious about talking
about his drugs on the phone to prevent police detection.

A UW junior said he was caught for dealing marijuana in high school when a
student confessed to breaking the athletic code through a party at her
house, instigating police investigations that eventually led to the UW
seller when four partiers admitted they bought from him. The UW student
said sellers have an unwritten code of conduct not to squeal on each other.

"Within the people doing it, we say f-ck the police and don't take anyone
down with you," he said.

According to Norml, a marijuana-reform organization, delivery, sale or
possession with intent to sell 500 grams or less of marijuana in Wisconsin
is punishable by up to 4.5 years in prison and a fine of between $500 and
$25,000.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft announced the federal crackdown on drug
paraphernalia last Monday, announcing that 50 people had been charged with
conspiracy to sell drug paraphernalia.

Acting DEA Administrator John B. Brown III said the prosecution of the
nation's largest drug paraphernalia suppliers is a necessary part of the
war on drugs.

"People selling drug paraphernalia are in essence no different than drug
dealers," Brown said Monday. "These criminals operate a multimillion-dollar
enterprise, selling their paraphernalia in head shops, distributing out of
huge warehouses and using the World Wide Web as a worldwide paraphernalia
market," he said, announcing the closure of 11 "illicit" websites selling
drug merchandise.

Knuckleheads and Freedom stores are selling all of their pipes for half the
regular price until sold out to avoid any legal trouble, according to their
employees. The Pipefitter manager Greg Hinkley said he is also selling off
all of his store's pipes to slow down business and ease into semi-retirement.