PIPE-SELLERS' JOBS AT RISK

If federal authorities get their way, Tommy Chong and his pipe company will
be rolled up, lit up and smoked up.

That is if authorities - who confiscated the contents of warehouses and
raided the homes of those who, like Chong, sell smoking equipment - are
able to prosecute the suspected offenders.

For the stores in Lincoln who earn money selling pipes - like those
confiscated in recent national raids - that could mean serious problems for
business.

For police, however, the federal raids on Internet pipe vendors and other
shops are just a reiteration of the local whisper that has grown louder
since several shops have sprouted up in Lincoln in the past few years.

The manager at one business said the store bought about 75 percent of its
pipes from some of the companies that were raided, such as Jerome Baker,
Chong and Zong.

He said all he could do was sell the rest of what he had and start to look
for a new job.

At that store, an "Authorized Graffix Dealer" sign showed through a yellow
smiley face cloth that was hung over it. Graffix is a pipe manufacturer and
distributor.

That manager predicted the business would have to close if courts from
Pennsylvania to California uphold charges against at least 55 pipe-sellers.

Officials at several stores declined to comment, saying only they didn't
want to get involved.

But some stores are not buying the federal hype.

According to Todd Cox, a manager at Jake's Cigars, 1451 O St., Suite 200,
the federal activity is "not too much of a concern, really."

"Without (lawmakers) passing a law, things will stand as they are," he said.

Additionally, employees at Jake's cannot sell a pipe to someone who talks
about using it for anything illegal, Cox said.

And disclaimers in all of the stores are used to legitimize pipe sales.

Signs in the stores reading "For tobacco use only" and "Not for illicit
purposes" echo this message.

Furthermore, Jake's doesn't carry products from any of the distributors
whose warehouses were raided, Cox said.

So as of now, he said, employees at Jake's are waiting to see how local
authorities respond and how judges in other cases across the nation rule.

But Lincoln police may not be able to jump as quickly as federal
authorities. At least they haven't been able to yet.

Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said it was not against the law to buy or
sell a pipe of any kind.

But it is illegal to buy and sell drug paraphernalia, he said.

"It's tough," Casady said, "They're really skilled at avoiding the magic
words that will give us a prosecutable case.

"They are able to walk on that fine line between legal and illegal without
falling on my side."

Specifically, police can only arrest those who make references to using
drugs with the smoking accessories in the store, he said.

Nevertheless, authorities do conduct undercover checks to ensure the stores
are not selling smoking instruments for illicit uses, Casady said. And some
get ticketed, he said.

Additionally, police were concerned that many of the shops had a lot of
young customers, Casady said.

"These head shops are helping to promote a drug culture and the use of
drugs among teens," he said.

Many shops, however, said they had to ask for proof that customers were 18
years old.

Furthermore, customers come into the shops on their own will, managers said.

Nevertheless, Casady said he backed the federal action.

"I wish them well," he said.

"I think anyone that's engaged in this type of business has flawed ethics."