WOMAN'S EFFORT MAY HELP LIMIT DRUG PARAPHERNALIA

Proposed Bill Would Control Sales Of Papers, Glass Vials For Illegal Drugs

A Catawba County woman's campaign to get drug paraphernalia sales
banned from convenience stores has resulted in a state bill that
would control the sales and possibly push stores to drop them
altogether, says the bill's sponsor. Reva Cook, who works in Catawba
County's drug treatment court, last fall asked local and state
officials to consider a ban.

Among others, Cook contacted N.C. Rep. Mark Hilton, R-Catawba, about
her push to rid convenience stores of wrapping papers that people can
use to make joints and glass vials for smoking crack.

Conceivably, people also could use the papers for wrapping tobacco
cigarettes. The stores sell the vials as novelty items, often with a
tiny rose tucked inside. But Cook and others believe they're almost
always used for illicit drugs.

Hilton responded by introducing a bill in the state House. With
today's open sales, he said, "We're rolling out the red carpet for
drug users to help them get the paraphernalia they need to continue
their illegal drug use." Hilton said that a ban on sales would
violate the state constitution because the items can be used for
legal purposes -- although several N.C. cities, including Charlotte,
ban the sale of the drug vials, or stems. So he wrote a bill that
would place requirements on sales but still allow them. The bill
would require wrapping papers and the glass vials to be placed behind
the counter and require buyers to present identification and sign a
log, much the way people must now buy over-the-counter cold medicines
used to make methamphetamine.

N.C. Sen. John Snow, D-Cherokee, introduced a similar bill in the
Senate. By creating a purchase record, Hilton hopes, the bill would
discourage convicted drug users from buying the paraphernalia because
they would want to avoid having their parole officers catch them.

He said the controls might also discourage people from experimenting
with drugs by making it harder for them to get the tools to use them.
"We're hoping a lot of convenience stores won't want the extra
burden, so they'll stop selling it," he said. "We're just taking that
red carpet up." Cook likes Hilton's bill. She works with addicts
through the drug treatment court, which orders convicted users into
treatment as part of their sentence. She said the paraphernalia may
tempt some who are trying to recover. Though the bill stops short of
the ban she sought, she said it could make a real difference.

"I'm so glad somebody with some power and some position got on board
with this," Cook said. "I am very excited about it. I knew that I had
to stir up some interest, but I knew it takes a community."