North County Smoke Shops Raided By Authorities

[Ganjarden]

Authorities raided smoke shops in three North County cities this week, confiscating hundreds of pipes and other items they said constitute drug paraphernalia.

On Wednesday, the Sheriff's Department served search warrants in San Marcos and Vista. The next day, Escondido police served seven warrants at smoke shops in that city.

Authorities held a news conference Friday afternoon to talk about the operation and display some of the seized items.

About 40 law enforcement personnel were involved in Thursday's raids, authorities said. They included Escondido police officers and technicians, sheriff's deputies, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Reporters were allowed to go along on the raids on the condition that they not publish or broadcast stories until after the news conference at 2:30 p.m. Friday.

The raids followed an Oct. 22 bust in Imperial Beach during which sheriff's deputies confiscated 2,500 pipes from two stores, Up in Smoke and Inner Visions.

Escondido police said the District Attorney's Office had sent letters to the North County shops telling them what items to remove from shelves. Some complied; others did not.

At least one Escondido smoke-shop employee was cited Thursday as police confiscated rows of glass pipes from Smokin' Glass on South Centre City Parkway.

Chris Pancner, the store manager, said he was cited for selling drug paraphernalia to minors. He denied that he broke the law.
"We've been in full compliance since we opened," he said. "We've never sold any questionable products. All of our products are for tobacco use."
Pancner said a few items seized from the store cost from $200 to $1,800

At a press conference in front of Escondido City Hall, Undersheriff Bill Gore, left, and County Supervisor Bill Horn inspect samples of confiscated marijuana paraphernalia, similar to ones seized in this week's raids. CHARLIE NEUMAN / Union-Tribune​

News Hawk- Ganjarden 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: SignOnSanDiego.com
Author: Matthew Rodriguez
Contact: SignOnSanDiego.com
Copyright: 2008 Union-Tribune Publishing Co.
Website: North County Smoke Shops Raided By Authorities

 

[Keith Lake]

That guy on the right - Bill Horn, is the SD Supervisor who is the leading opposition to patient cards in San Diego - he's the one pushing the case to the US Supreme Court.

Too bad he's still in office, with so much spare time on his hand to bother with a bong raid

 

[michaelkaer]

Where's Tommy Chong's reply to this farce?

 

[Bee23]

"Where's Tommy Chong's reply to this farce?"

Last time Tommy Chong made light of Gov't he got pinched.
At least that's what I got from his son's documentary.

 

[michaelkaer]

I am not sure what you are referring to. I heard something about him and some DVDs. Is that the documentary you are talking about? I have not seen it yet by the way. I saw him talking about getting jail time for seling bongs and I just assumed he would be all over this. Maybe he is just biding his time till bush and his cronies are out of office to speak up again.

 

[michaelkaer]

I wanted to make another comment on this subject. What is the use of busting bong sellers, other than to raise the over all price of bongs and maybe bankrupting one or two businesses. That is what we need, more businesses being forced out of business in a horrible economy- not very bright on many levels... The other thought is you could walk into every smoker's house and destroy every single bong and they would be right back smoking it the second you leave. You would also have to deal with a huge backlash of angry people. Following the cops twisted rational, we should also outlaw apples, because they can be made into pipes, corn because you can make a corncob pipe and all glass containers ( and plasic ones too) since they can all be made into pipes and bongs. Where does this insanity end?

 

[FreakNature]

I don't think we'll ever make sense of this type of action. The best I can offer is that the under-sheriff wears his pants too high and it cuts off the circulation to his brain.

 

[LongHairHippy]

Tommy Chong did jail time for his involvement in a paraphernalia business. He wrote a book about it titled "I Chong". Sense does not matter to those who live by controlling others. They have a deep-seated fear that God will punish them if they tolerate "sin" (being happy). If you read Alice Miller "For Your Own Good" there's information that abuse of "willful" infants causes them to be plagued by subconscious fears that they project onto other people; they didn't understand why they were being punished, which brings in the element of superstitious emotions. I'd feel sorry for them if they didn't victimize others.

 

[Racefan]

Tommy Chong did jail time for his involvement in a paraphernalia business. He wrote a book about it titled "I Chong". Sense does not matter to those who live by controlling others. They have a deep-seated fear that God will punish them if they tolerate "sin" (being happy). If you read Alice Miller "For Your Own Good" there's information that abuse of "willful" infants causes them to be plagued by subconscious fears that they project onto other people; they didn't understand why they were being punished, which brings in the element of superstitious emotions. I'd feel sorry for them if they didn't victimize others.

Tommy also did a movie about his arrest and internment. It was called A/K/A Tommy Chong and was shown on Showtime several times in the last month. I have it on DVD. I recorded it off showtime via a tuner card and my pc and burned it to a DVD. The DVD plays great in my new ps3 and it even upconverts it for the HD televison.

 

[Keith Lake]

That's Mary Beth Buchanan, (US District Attorney and a Bush appointee) the born again bong persecturor you're talking about. She's the self annointed morals police for the East Coast

- entrapped Chong as an "example" to the other paraphanalia businesses
- was shown in unfavorable light in aka Tommy Chong; raided and confiscated 1000s of copies of the DVDs
- also went after the whizzinator people and put them out of business
- has now refused to voluntarily resign as is customary when new presidents come into office.

Sense does not matter to those who live by controlling others. They have a deep-seated fear that God will punish them if they tolerate "sin" (being happy).

It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues- Abraham Lincoln

 

[Sunflower]

In a world got mad shouldn't the government have something better to do? I like what I do and I want to be left free to make an honest living. I have been this business for a few years in that time I have had many occasions were I was harassed by various law enforcement agencies. In a country with huge populations of inmates, homeless and poverty stricken people perhaps it is about time we learn to respect each others personal choices.

 

[hood1]

If there is demand there will be supply.

Why don't these ass holes that advocate forcing morality. On those that feel no need for their morality? I live a good life I violate no other humans rights. So why are they so intent on violating mine. Putting me in jail enslave me I believe in live and let live and respect all humans rights, to live their life as they please. Now our greedy country is trying to bring the rebels under control. I will never be like them put me in jail. Destroy my life. Use my tax money against me. I will still be a rebel till I die. I have learned to make my own decisions now if my free country would only return my rights. We all will live in peace once more like the 60s how I would love to go back pre trick dick days!!!

 

[Jim Finnel]

....We all will live in peace once more like the 60s how I would love to go back pre trick dick days!!!

i guess i remember a different 60's
the cold war
cuban missle crisis
vietnam/cambodia/laos
kent state shootings
cities burning
assasinations

 

[LongHairHippy]

i guess i remember a different 60's
the cold war
cuban missle crisis
vietnam/cambodia/laos
kent state shootings
cities burning
assasinations

I remember both sides of my youth--- the bad stuff was really bad. At the same time I think there are certain aspects of U.S. society that have changed for the worse. It seems harder to make connections. It seems that people move on more quickly and this allows less long term friendships. This may be because I'm not very good at making friends, being shy. But we all grieve for the great things that we've lost, and sometimes forget the bad parts. This probably helps us stay mellower, even if it biases our view of how the past and present really compare. Wishful thinking can remind us of what we want more of and help us work to get some of that. So, I think it's okay as long as you don't get carried away.
May you all be well and happy!

 

[Johnny C. Seed]

That guy on the right - Bill Horn, is the SD Supervisor who is the leading opposition to patient cards in San Diego - he's the one pushing the case to the US Supreme Court.

Too bad he's still in office, with so much spare time on his hand to bother with a bong raid

And the real sad thing is I am one of the Card Carriers he is after, this Pompous ass cant find something better to do than try and put me back on Morphine again. Damn this Crusade.

 

[Keith Lake]

I think the end of the crusade is scheduled for June 2009; when the Supreme Court is expected to refuse to hear the final`appeal from SD County.

 

[420]

a/k/a Tommy Chong - A film by Josh Gilbert
(They are one of our 420 Sponsors)

Tommy also did a movie about his arrest and internment. It was called A/K/A Tommy Chong and was shown on Showtime several times in the last month. I have it on DVD. I recorded it off showtime via a tuner card and my pc and burned it to a DVD. The DVD plays great in my new ps3 and it even upconverts it for the HD televison.

 

[Johnny C. Seed]

I think the end of the crusade is scheduled for June 2009; when the Supreme Court is expected to refuse to hear the final`appeal from SD County.

That would be a "land mark" day for an old smoker like me.
Thank you, my Friend.

 

[Keith Lake]

That would be a "land mark" day for an old smoker like me.
Thank you, my Friend.

I'm rooting for all our San Diego brothers on this one.

 

[stonedrock]

freaks me out everytime i see shit like that.....soon them guys will be dead and society can take on a different look. not frowning on weed.