Just when we thought you had seen everything. Drug use and creative drug paraphernalia is always evolving. Showing up on the streets of South Fulton these days is an even more innovative way to smoke crack or ice. And making the quick high even easier, some drug dealers are pre-loading impromptu pipes found in the vast majority of convenience stores.

The pipes are called “straight shooters” in drug lingo. The main part of the pipe is often a novelty called a “Love Rose.” Essentially, it is a small, toy long-stemmed rose nestled inside a clear plastic tube, sealed with foil on the top and open partially or completely on the bottom, said Tri-Cities Narcotics Assistant Senior Agent-in-Charge Reed Pollard. Love Roses are found at approximately 80 percent of convenience stores throughout the metro Atlanta area, especially the smaller, locally owned stores. Having been used as drug pipes for years, the little roses are not the only type of novelty-turned drug paraphernalia available at many convenience stores. Often located up high behind the counter are various sizes of multi-colored “jewel bags.” The smallest of the little plastic bags is adequate to stash one or two small chunks or “rocks” of crack cocaine or perhaps “ice,” a potent and more dangerous form of methamphetamine. Larger bags are often available in sizes to accommodate small quantities of marijuana.

Now for something new. Pollard said some dealers are buying pipes, sometimes by the 36-unit box, and pre-loading them with either crack cocaine or ice. This is done by inserting small rocks of crack or ice into the tube, along with a bit of copper Brillo pad to act as a filter. Brillo pads, too, are usually on convenience stores shelves, he said. So with one-stop shopping complete and the drug and filter inserted into the pipe, dealers have a pre-loaded pipe to sell, Pollard said. The going price in South Fulton is $25. Pollard said a drug bust earlier in 2006 at a Palmetto convenience store revealed not only marijuana, but also the usual paraphernalia, including Love Roses for sale with no rose in the tube. Earlier this week at an apartment in Fairburn, agents arrested a woman with six pre-loaded Love Roses and other items. A gram of crack or ice can supply 50-60 pipes with the drug, bringing $1,250-1,500 to the dealer.

“We’ve seen the rose tubes used as straight shooters for years, but this is the first time we’ve seen drugs already loaded into the pipes,” Pollard said. “Ready-made for smoking, this may be the up and coming thing. And with the paraphernalia in the stores, look who’s hanging out there. It’s convenient for the crackheads. If these items were not available in stores it would make it harder for some to get the drugs. Some might even be deterred from trying.”

Pollard said crack cocaine is the current drug of choice in Union City, Fairburn and Palmetto, though methamphetamine is emerging and gaining in popularity.

So check out the novelty section of your neighborhood convenience store. It might contain more then bobbing heads and figurines.

login to post comments