Pubdate: Thu, 17 Nov 2005
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2005 Calgary Herald
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66
Website: http://www.canada.com/calgary/calgaryherald/
Author: Sarah Chapman, Calgary Herald

DRUG PARAPHERNALIA RILES PARENTS

Parents of students at a downtown elementary school are frustrated
that, right across the street, convenience stores are selling
paraphernalia used in the drug trade.

"It's an unhappy location," said Svetlana Stojanovic as she picked up
her five-year-old son from the W.H. Cushing Workplace School on 7th
Avenue S.W.

"People are very concerned," she said. "That's why we wait (with our
kids) for the school to open. Those stores need to move."

Blown-glass pipes, scales, knives and glass tubes containing fake
roses -- commonly used for smoking crack cocaine -- are visibly
displayed in a showcase underneath the cash register at the Canadian
Convenience Store at 7th Avenue and 1st Street S.W.

The store owner said maybe it's the school that should be moved.

"I don't like to sell this, but what can I do?" said Aftab Hussein.
"We will lose customers. If you don't sell, they can buy from someone
else."

The businessman, who has owned the shop for seven months with his
wife, said the pipes are glass ornaments sold for display. The
miniature scales are for weighing jewelry, the knives are collectibles
and the glass tubes holding tiny fake roses are gifts, he added.

"Everything is legal," Hussein said, adding that if the sale of the
pipes was illegal he would be happy to stop selling them.

A few doors down, Amin Thaeer owns a donair shop and a convenience
store called Hop-In, Hop-Out. It sells swords, knives, pipes and scales.

"Everybody sells," he said. "Rent is too high here."

Street people stop at the Canadian Convenience Store to buy cheap
cigarettes along with the eight-centimetre, $2.50 glass tubes that can
double as crack pipes.

James Greene, who has called the street his home for two years, said
there's no harm in the store selling the items.

"They're going to get it from somewhere, the same as needles," he
said. "People smoke drugs. It's as simple as that."

Staff Sgt. Kevan Stuart of the Calgary police drug unit said the
police are limited when it comes to controlling the sale of items that
could be used in the drug trade if they also have a legitimate use.

"If a piece of paraphernalia can only be used for the consumption of
drugs, it's illegal. But if it is shown to be used for something else
other than illicit drug use, it's not illegal," he explained.

"That's how they cover it off. What is a concern to us is that the
drug culture deems this to be acceptable."

Stuart said police can only monitor the situation.

"We can only work within the law we're given to work
with."

The City of Calgary says it also has its hands tied.

"We've had complaints. It's offensive," said chief licence inspector
Marc Halat. "There's nothing we can do . . . or we would do something."

Halat said there is no legislation to allow the city to control the
sale of legal goods at retail locations, or to prevent them from
opening near schools.

Calgary Board of Education spokesman Graham White said he has not
heard of any complaints about the stores.

The issue has been raised at school council meetings for W.H. Cushing,
but Graham said parents drop off and pick up their children each day
and are aware of the nature of the downtown street.
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