Moorhead City Council to hear new drug paraphernalia ordinance

The Moorhead City council at this hour will soon hear a plan to crack down on a half-dozen smoke shops that sell pipes and other drug paraphernalia. The proposed ordinance would be patterned after North Dakota's law.

The state of Minnesota recently passed a law regarding the sale of synthetic marijuana. And while the state already has a general law regarding the manufacture, delivery and possession of drug paraphernalia, the proposed Moorhead ordinance gets specific about what would be banned.

Moorhead's Discontent has been around for 30 plus years. For years it has sold glass pipes and other items that Moorhead police now want banned. In a detailed proposed ordinance, police lay out what local smoke shops could no longer sell. From pipes to bowls to blenders.

Dave Ebinger – Moorhead Police Chief: “It is clear these items are for the use of illicit narcotics.”

The head shop owners here in Moorhead would not comment on camera today. But many of them told us if the proposed does pass it would be unconstitutional, and they will attorneys at tonight's meeting to argue just that.

Moorhead Police say the dramatic increase in the use of synthetic marijuana, bath salts and more here in Fargo-Moorhead has led to this proposed ordinance.

Ebinger: “It is a crap shoot anytime they use this stuff.”

Ebinger: “It is incumbent on us to take some kind of action preemptively before we end up losing kids.”

Cody Saindon – Customer: “I really don't see a problem with what people put in their pipes and smoke it is not my business or government’s business it is your deal.”

Business owners who would be affected by this ordinance have already received a letter about it.

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