>>> On 24 February 2003—as the US girded for war in the Middle East and people read Ready.gov for instructions on surviving biochemical and nuclear attacks—five federal agencies busted 50+ individuals allegedly involved in businesses that sell drug paraphernalia, such as bongs and pipes. [see the press release]

Besides being indicted and arrested, their businesses were raided, with all inventory being seized. On top of that, the government got a federal injunction to shut down the businesses' Websites. Among the eleven Websites that have been taken offline: Pipesforyou.com, Pipedreams, Smokelab, Omnilounge, Colorchangingglass.com, 420Smile, aheadcase.com, 101north.net, and Puffpipes.

Now if you go to most of these sites, you're greeted with this screen:

However, The Memory Hole has saved portions of these Websites. Below you will find screenshots of some of them, with unsorted links to photographs of the items they sold.

It's doubly important to preserve these images, because not only have they been pulled offline, but the objects that they show have been seized and will probably be destroyed. In some cases, these are one-of-a-kind works of art. These photos might be the only record that they ever existed.

For the record, I want to state that nothing here is intended to help in the sale of these items. (To that end, I've blanked out the phone numbers, which are probably inoperative anyway, from the screenshots.) Although I believe that you have the right to put whatever substances you desire into your own body, apparently the sale of devices that could aid in that process is illegal. My purpose here simply is to document and archive what has been deleted, seized, and/or destroyed.

Justice Department press release | Washington Post article

New York Times article | High Times article

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