Back in 2003 the DEA ran “Operation Pipe Dreams”, effectively shutting down every bong shop selling paraphernalia on the internet. The ill-fated and misguided war on drugs fueled then Attorney General John Ashcroft with nary an eye to the future of marijuana.
The operation was a smashing success, if you consider wasting $12 million dollars and the efforts of 2,000 officers to arrest 55 people (mostly glass blowers) and only charge one — Tommy Chong — a success. It was a sickening misuse of government funds and energy, but nothing new in the ridiculously long standing war on drugs.
“The drug paraphernalia business is now accessible in anyone’s home with a computer and Internet access,” Ashcroft said at the press conference back in 2003.
