Pubdate: Tue, 17 Jan 2006
Source: Boston Herald (MA)
Contact:  http://news.bostonherald.com/
Address: PO BOX 2096, Boston MA 02106-2096
Fax: 617-542-1315
Copyright: 2006 The Boston Herald, Inc
Author: Matt  Dunning
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?228 (Paraphernalia)

SPENCER'S SPECIAL: POT PARAPHERNALIA?

How-to advice with a hookah burned two Hanover Mall workers caught in 
an undercover narcotics sting.

Police say a teen working at Spencer's Gifts sold a  cop the water 
pipe along with instructions on how to best put it to use with  pot.

Both the employee and his manager were charged the  next day, and 28 
hookahs were seized.

Daniel T. Smith, 17, of Halifax and Heather Vernon,  18, of Braintree 
face a charge of selling a device, according to state law, used  to 
"ingest, inhale or otherwise introduce into the human body a 
controlled  substance."

Friday's charges were issued a day after a Hanover  narcotics officer 
conducted an undercover operation at the store. Police say Smith sold 
the officer a pipe, adding in instructions on how to smoke 
pot.  Police said Vernon was on duty as the assistant manager.

By selling hookahs and other drug-related  paraphernalia, including 
T-shirts and posters with marijuana insignias on them,  Hanover 
Police Chief Paul Hayes said it's a "kick in the face" to his  department.

"With all the work we do trying to educate the  community about the 
dangers of drug abuse, it's insulting for (Spencer's) to  turn around 
and sell things like hookahs," he said.

Representatives from the Hanover Mall and Spencer's  declined to be 
interviewed, and Spencer's corporate headquarters did not return calls.