DEA PRIORITIES MISPLACED

Interstate 55, with its link between St. Louis and Chicago, has sometimes
been referred to as a "drug highway." It's probably a fair description
given the number of vehicles that have been pulled over in recent years
loaded with illegal drugs.

A lot of those busts have either happened by happenstance or by the good
work of local or state police. We wonder if more semis loaded with drugs
might have been stopped were the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to focus on
such serious matters rather than raiding local shops to confiscate water pipes.

For years two local businesses - Traveling Treasures and Penny Lane - have
been selling these pipes. Plenty of law enforcement officers have been in
these shops over the years. The proprietors apparently were never told they
could not sell the pipes or that the merchandise was illegal. That changed
on Aug. 15 when DEA agents arrived.

Are these pipes used to smoke tobacco, as signs in the shops insist? Of
course not. Should the marijuana used in these pipes be legalized? That's a
debate for another day. But are DEA raids on small businesses selling bongs
a good use of your tax dollars? We'd have to say, no.