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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Wales: Llanelli drugs worker: 'Get rid of drug pipes on stalls'
Llanelli Star Wednesday 02 Nov 2011 Chief executive of Chooselife Wales Drug and Alcohol Intervention Service, Alan Andrews, feared it was being made all too easy for youngsters to get their hands on legal water pipes, which can be used to smoke cannabis. He added that the wrong message was being sent to children by allowing so- called bongs and items such as tobacco tins emblazoned with cannabis leaves to be sold openly on street stalls — just yards from where he regularly parks the Chooselife mobile drop-in centre to offer support and advice. He said: "Because they are selling these bongs, that everyone knows are for smoking cannabis, as water pipes, Trading Standards, the police and the market managers all have their hands tied — nothing illegal is going on. "They are trying to stay within the law but all the paraphernalia on the stall has cannabis slogans and designs on. "Kids start smoking it as young as 10 or 11 sometimes and for them to walk through town and see these things is sending the wrong message. "What I'm asking is, does Llanelli want this sort of thing going on?" Having worked with drug addicts for around 15 years, Mr Andrews has seen first hand the devastating effects illegal substances can have — and warned that smoking cannabis can be just as destructive as taking class A drugs. "These people are earning money from other people's misery," he said. "There are many young people smoking cannabis that will end up in psychiatric wards with mental health issues. "It is a horrible drug. When people who have taken heroin stop taking it, they can recover physically and mentally, but with cannabis you might never recover mentally. "It opens up things in the mind that shouldn't be opened and it can be very dangerous." Mr Andrews has alerted Carmarthenshire Council leader Meryl Gravell and Trading Standards to his campaign, and hopes to gain support in putting pressure on shops and stalls to stop selling drug-related items. "Half of all 16 to 29 year olds have tried cannabis at least once," he said. "In spite of government warnings about health risks, many people see it as a harmless substance that helps you to relax and chill — a drug that, unlike alcohol and cigarettes, might even be good for your physical and mental health. "On the other hand, recent research has suggested that it can be a major cause of psychotic illnesses in those who are genetically vulnerable. "We should be sending the message out that no drugs are OK." A worker on the stall, who would not give his name, said: "We don't sell anything illegal. "Trading Standards have been here and if they want me to get rid of anything I will." A Carmarthenshire Council spokesman said it was "looking at the possible sale of certain items". He added: "However, it is legal to sell these items provided that they are sold in accordance with legal age limits." http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/rid-drug-pipes-stalls/story-13730209-detail/story.html
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