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Happy Hippy Handed Heave-Ho
Pubdate: Tue, 21 Feb 2006
Source: Williams Lake Tribune, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2006 Williams Lake Tribune
Contact: http://www.wltribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1226
Author: Sage Birchwater
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)
HAPPY HIPPY HANDED HEAVE-HO
When the highly successful crystal meth symposium in Williams Lake
concluded on February 3, one of its recommendations was for the
community to set up a meth-watch program. That's a program to monitor
the sale of products used in the manufacture of crystal meth.
Drug counselor Bob Hughes from the Phoenix Centre in Kamloops, also
encouraged the community to convince local retailers not to sell glass
pipes, which he said are exclusively used for bad drugs like crystal
meth and crack cocaine.
Last week a local retail business, the Happy Hippy Hemp Shop, that
sells glass pipes, bongs, rolling papers, and roach clips designed for
smoking pot, has been asked to vacate its rented space on Oliver Street.
Happy Hippy store owner, Mike Dery, says his landlord, Chuck Delainey,
told him he had until the end of the month to find a new location for
his business.
At first Dery figured he was getting persecuted because he suspected
Salvation Army Captain Rick Zelinsky had put pressure on his landlord
to have him evicted. He says Zelinsky came in several times and told
him he didn't like him running a business that promoted the use of
drugs.
Dery reacted by drafting up a petition calling for the "end of
religious discrimination" of free enterprise and stating a "zealot"
was applying pressure to close his business down.
Without naming Zelinsky, the petition says a "local member of the
community has taken up a crusade to have the Happy Hippy shut down."
Dery argues this is just one man's opinion.
"That same man says nothing while liquor stores and bars operate and
while other companies continue to sell the same products as the Happy
Hippy."
But when Delainey came and spoke to him personally, Dery's anger
toward Zelinsky subsided somewhat.
"Chuck said he made the decision on his own that my business will
reflect badly on the clientele of other potential business rentals.
Chuck said he made a personal choice and doesn't want to scare away
other renters."
Zelinsky admits he saw red when he saw the Happy Hippy posters on
hydro poles around the downtown, sporting a big marijuana leaf. He
says he tore down the posters near the Salvation Army headquarters on
Borland Street and took them in to talk to Dery.
"We deal with people who struggle with addiction every single day. I
have a real hard time with a business that receives a business license
to sell paraphernalia for illegal drugs."
What makes him doubly mad is that Dery also sells paint ball supplies,
which are geared toward a younger clientele of people.
"It's immoral to marry paintball supplies with crack pipes," he
insists.
Zelinsky says selling pot pipes and crack pipes amounts to the same
thing.
"The last I knew, pot was not a legal drug."
He says drugs aren't the only thing that irks him. When Lucky's Bingo
was located across the street from the Salvation Army, he found it
frustrating to watch the people from the soup line walk over to the
bingo line.
Zelinsky wants Williams Lake to raise the bar higher than what's
merely legal.
"Do we in Williams Lake want to hold up a higher standard in our
community, and say 'no' to certain activities? We can make that
standard. There are cities in this country that do that."
In his defense Dery insists he doesn't stock the most common items
used as crack pipes.
"I will not stock them," he states emphatically. "I'm an advocate of
marijuana which should be regulated like alcohol."
He says crack and marijuana are two different cultures. He says he's
personally been cleaned out by "unfortunate" crack users and doesn't'
support the use of any hard drugs.
"I'm here to raise awareness and support a culture I believe in."
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake