Pipe sales still proving strong

Pipe sales still proving strong

by Cristina Daglas, Deputy News Editor
October 16, 2003

Despite efforts from the White House and the Drug Enforcement Administration to rid America's cities of marijuana paraphernalia, a few of Madison's head shops continue to sell handcrafted glass pipes.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft ignited a nationwide crackdown on the selling of these items in stores and through Internet purchases in the early months of this year when he, in a news conference to announce his intentions, condemned the paraphernalia business as a billion-dollar industry that exploits youth culture.

Although Ashcroft pushed for a nationwide operation, Jeanne Hehr, resident agent in charge of the DEA office in Madison, said nothing has happened federally in Madison. She noted that the push late last year for the reduction of paraphernalia sales stemmed from the state and groups such as the Dane County Narcotics Task Force. She also said that currently the DEA in Madison is not focusing much attention on this topic.

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However, even with a lack of federal attention, in the late days of April and early weeks of May 2003, University of Wisconsin students and Madisonites alike saw shops such as Knuckleheads, Sunshine Daydream and The Pipefitter, Ltd. put much of their merchandise on sale and cut back significantly on the selling of paraphernalia.

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http://www.badgerherald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/10/16/3f8e0a4d889b0

Wisconsin's strong heritage

we just lost a large swath of manhattan 2 years ago and Ashcroft is going after doctors, cancer patients, glass-blowers and bong merchants. what a goddamn genius.

Although there were plenty of entrepreneurs near the park, selling their wares.

Ashcroft's priorities in the War on Terror are pretty apparent.