If House Bill 722 passes, North Carolina drug abusers won’t have the luxury of purchasing their drug paraphernalia at convenience stores anymore.They will have to buy items that are used to smoke marijuana and crack cocaine somewhere else, because convenience stores won’t be selling them. Certain drug paraphernalia such as cigars and glass stems with silk flowers are target items.

This move in North Carolina is in reaction to other states passing similar measures. North Carolina drug rehab centers have seen an increase in admissions to drug rehab programs across the state.

The Director of Narconon of Georgia drug rehab has been warning about the ease with which drug paraphernalia items are purchased at convenience stores for a couple of years after she easily bought several items herself . She later noted in a local publication:

“Simple items like coke cans, spoons, light bulbs and straws found in odd places around the home could signal drug abuse. Other paraphernalia items that I wanted to show, like crack pipes, blunts and scales I thought would be harder to get. My companion suggested that we could get everything we needed, including the “harder to get items” at a convenience store.”

In her research for an upcoming television interview she discovered that nobody was “minding the store” as she bought everything she would need to get high in a convenience store without anyone saying a thing.

When leaving the store there was apparent drug activity outside.

“Outside were a couple of guys who I thought were drug dealers. I could think of no other reason why they would be inclined to spend so much time milling around outside on such a beautiful night.”

While it may no longer be so convenient to purchase drug paraphernalia, effective drug treatment might be easier to obtain than most realize.