cannabisnews.com: Smoke Shop Ready to Open Smoke Shop Ready to Open Posted by FoM on February 22, 2001 at 16:17:56 PT By Jeremy Pawloski, Journal Staff Writer Source: Albuquerque Journal A number that a police spokeswoman said is slang for marijuana use was part of a sign at the Gas Pipe's new Los Ranchos location until it was replaced Wednesday afternoon.The Gas Pipe location at 6666 on Fourth Street is scheduled to open March 15, according to the sign. The store will sell rolling papers, tobacco pipes, water pipes, hydroponic growing lights, greeting cards and darts, store officials have said. The Gas Pipe's attempt to open in the village last year was met with widespread community opposition. Critics said items the store sells are used for illegal drug use and former Los Ranchos Mayor Harry Stowers called the store a "head shop." Residents also objected to the store's location — on a route students use to walk to and from the nearby Taft Middle School. Village trustees denied the Gas Pipe a business license, and owner Jerry Shults subsequently sued the village on the basis that denying him a business license violated his right to equal protection under the law and that the village's zoning ordinances did not prohibit his intended use of the building. A settlement was reached earlier this month, with the Gas Pipe agreeing to restrict some items it normally sells and not to allow people under 18 into the store, among other concessions. Until Wednesday afternoon, the outdoor sign at the Gas Pipe had said the store's grand opening would on be "4 20." Albuquerque Police Department spokeswoman Beth Baland said Wednesday that "4:20," is slang for marijuana use. "It's some kind of slang for using marijuana," Baland said, when asked what she understood the numbers to mean. "Sometimes the taggers use it on the walls." On April 20, a "Four-Twenty" gathering was held by more than 200 marijuana users and supporters of legalizing the substance in Albuquerque's Roosevelt Park. A store manager removed the "4 20" from the sign at the Gas Pipe on Wednesday after a Journal reporter took a picture of it. The "4 20" had followed the words "Grand Opening" in the sign. "It was some guy's idea of a joke," the store manager said as he was removing the numbers. He replaced it with letters reading that the store's grand opening would take place April 20. The manager declined to be interviewed further. Shults in a phone interview Wednesday said the numbers and the date are significant because that's the anniversary of his first store's opening in Dallas in 1970. Shults said he was not aware of "4:20" being slang for marijuana use. "This was totally a coincidence as far as I'm concerned and we are complying with the village's wishes," Shults said. Los Ranchos Mayor John Hooker, who broke a tie to approve the settlement, said Wednesday he was not aware of "4:20" being a code for smoking marijuana. He also said he hoped there was no connection between the old number on the sign and marijuana use and that it was merely a coincidence. Trustees Penny Rembe and David Siegel voted for the agreement, arguing that if the village lost a lawsuit with the Gas Pipe, it would also lose the concessions they stood to gain by passing the compromise settlement. Siegel said Wednesday he is "very concerned" about the Gas Pipe being in the village and that "it's pretty clear" what the nature of the business is. He added, however, that the village did not have legal means for keeping them out. Trustees Leo Bartolucci and Barbara Chavez voted against the settlement. Bartolucci said Wednesday he had no idea "4:20" was slang for smoking pot, and added that the number being on the Gas Pipe's sign could have been a coincidence. "I'm 77 years old, we didn't know what pot was until the '60s," he said. Bartolucci added that he has concerns about whether the settlement agreement with the village can be enforced. As part of the settlement with the village, the Gas Pipe agreed to the following: * It will not sell adult toys or "display smoking accessories in its window or in a position from which they can be readily viewed from the outside." * It will "not carry any literature or items of apparel that contain or display words that advocate the use of controlled substances." * It will not permit anyone under the age of 18 to shop there. Identification will be requested if someone appears to be around the age of 18.Source: Albuquerque Journal (NM) Author: Jeremy Pawloski, Journal Staff WriterPublished: Thursday, February 22, 2001Copyright: 2001 Albuquerque JournalAddress: P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103Contact: opinion abqjournal.comWebsite: http://www.abqjournal.com/ CannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 23, 2001 at 17:24:34 PT A Night of Music On The Learning Channel A Night of Music On The Learning ChannelTLCChanging Grooves, Sexy Moves On Air: ESTFeb 23 2001 8:00 PM Feb 23 2001 11:00 PM Feb 25 2001 2:00 AM Trace the transformation of rock n'roll from coffee houses to concert halls with stops along the way to the summer of love, California dreamin' and the motor city. See new performance footage of Janis Joplin, The Doors, Elton John, The Who and others. http://tlc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=552033001TLCMick Jagger: The Ultimate Performer On Air: ESTFeb 23 2001 12:00 AM Feb 23 2001 9:00 PM Is it talent or ambition that catapulted Mick Jagger to rock icon status? Examine his life as media manipulator, sex symbol and revolutionary through his cinematic successes and failures, the Brian Jones affair and his many failed relationships. http://tlc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=551033000TLCRock Family Trees: California Dreaming On Air: ESTFeb 23 2001 1:00 AM Feb 23 2001 10:00 PM Follow the tribulations of two bands that grew out of a progressive folk rock group named the Mugwumps. The Mamas and the Papas and Lovin' Spoonful both attained commercial and artistic success, only to be brought down by drugs and personal strife. http://tlc.discovery.com/schedule/episode.jsp?episode=553246000 [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by jAHn on February 23, 2001 at 13:46:25 PT Prime Example This, to me, is a Prime Example of how "amerikkkans" want to keep the Economy from getting to a Peak. Just Imagine the money that Albuquerque is going to be making from this. And, although it means nihil for Drug-War-Supportive-Types-Moral-War, they smile on the success because of the taxes that'll be applied. Way to go, Gas Pipe! Only, to know, that this store will probably suffer some major consequences for setting shop up. Most likely, it'll be busted for nothing and have all of its' merchandise seized. They try to Predestinate the outcome of business volume....Stay Strong and Stand Tall.No matter what price, they'll see to it that you fall. STOP FEDERAL PROHIBITON OF PERSONAL FREEDOM SUPPORT AMERICANS. STOP ARRESTING AMERICA...I forgot, Jail exists so that Corporations won't be humiliated by the massive amounts of layoffs they've conducted throughout the years. Corporations TEAR apart this country! You could NOT convince me otherwise. Your supportive data is mere fabrication of lies for protection. SUPPORT INDEPENDANCE. BUY INDEPENDANT. ORGANIZE INDEPENDANTLY. It's nice to know that Wawa calls the shots?? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by J.R. Bob Dobbs on February 22, 2001 at 18:08:31 PT Numerology, pure and simple. What if your local elementary school is located at 420 High Street? For a while, in this story, I thought they were concerned about the store's address. We all know 666 is the number of the beast, right? Oh, wait, it's more profitable and less dangerous to harass smokers. Speaking of 666 the beast, I just checked Aleisteir Crowley's quabbalistic dictionary "777", and under 420 we find:It wasDolium, vasVapour, smokePacifica To explain briefly - in ancient Hebrew, letters were also numbers (they weren't separate) and thus words or sentences which added up to the same number were held to be in some kind of correspondence with each other. Of course, half of the entries are indecipherable to me, just a mere curious soul and not a high priest or anything, but one entry under 420 certainly stands out in the above list, doesn't it? "777" was written in the last century, but the Quabbalistic tradition goes back for aeons... 420 [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: