Pubdate: Sun, 02 Mar 2003 Source: Tribune Review (Pittsburgh, PA) Copyright: 2003 Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Contact: http://triblive.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/460 Author: Dimitri Vassilaros Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/paraphernalia PRIORITIES GO TO POT IN BONG BUST You can sleep better these days knowing that the feds have made it more difficult to buy a bong. "Operation Pipe Dreams," a national investigation focusing on the sale of illegal drug paraphernalia led by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh and the Drug Enforcement Administration, resulted in 55 people being charged and netted "thousands and thousands of tons" of paraphernalia a few days ago. Just the thought of all that clearance merchandise probably gives you the heebie-jeebies. And takes your mind off lesser issues, such as how we are doing in the war on terrorism. Smoking out Osama bin Laden is more difficult than hunting down Americans who are out there smoking. If only bin Laden had financed his terrorism by selling roach clips. Why any adult would want to alter his consciousness by using any drug is unfathomable, but if he does not hurt other people or property, should anyone tell him how to live his life? Didn't we repeal Prohibition? Don't Republicans say they oppose the nanny state? Supposedly some of the companies were bragging that they made millions in sales. One claimed sales of $50 million. Shutting down successful companies that peaceably fill the demands of consumers during this virtual recession might not be the best way to turn around the economy by Election Day. Tens of millions in company profits is pennies on the dollar when compared to the human cost of this futile and never-ending war on people, er, um ... drugs. The accused are looking at up to three years in prison and maximum fines of $250,000. Two merchants in Pittsburgh, a husband and wife, were convicted in 2000 of selling drug paraphernalia and conspiracy. Akhil Mishra got two years. His wife, Rajewhwari, got five months. The feds got their two stores valued at $900,000. "They (the accused merchants) are so far out on the periphery of the drug war that any effect that they would have on the drug war would be minuscule," says attorney Warner Mariani, who represented the wife. Some of his clients get caught with little plastic bags, the same you might have in your pantry. The police can use that to say there was intent to deliver any narcotic using those bags. That "paraphernalia" could ratchet up an offense from a misdemeanor, with a maximum of one year in prison, to a felony with a 20-year maximum, he says. Drug use can destroy a life, but so can prison sentences, fines and property confiscation. Think of it as a version of village pacification. The government must destroy a user's life in order to save it. Or something. The feds tell us about the street value of the drugs or paraphernalia after a bust, but never about the human cost of imprisoning and fining someone, as well as taking his property. Why not create a law authorizing the government to arrest drunks for destroying their lives? Then we could throw them in prison, take what's left of their money and property and justify it by saying it's to save them from themselves. Prohibition changes the free market into the black market, but it cannot repeal the law of supply and demand. How many more lives will the government try to "save" by throwing non-violent people in prison before realizing that our fellow Americans are not the enemy, but that bin Laden still is? - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom