Ireland - Buyer Beware - Headshops (Ireland)

[Lunar Loops]

THIS SHOW IS ACTUALLY ON TONIGHT AT 20:30 FOR ANYONE WHO HAS A CHANCE TO CATCH IT AND NOT YESTERDAY AS I ORIGINALLY POSTED.


Anybody going to catch tonights (Thurs 27th Nov) 'Buyer Beware' show on RTE1 (Ireland) which is I understand about Headshops and how they keep tabs on customers? Unfortunately, I will miss it, but am interested to know what they came up with. A report by anyone who manages to catch it would be nice.

[porchy]

I didn't see it but am wondering what you mean by keeping tabs? You mean taking their names down and stuff or letting people take and pay later?

[Joe Duffy]

Originally Posted by Lunar Loops

Did anybody catch last nights 'Buyer Beware' show on RTE1 (Ireland) which was I understand about Headshops and how they keep tabs on customers? Unfortunately, I missed it, but am interested to know what they came up with.

Geez don’t do that, I thought I lost a day there for a moment, “Buyer Beware!” is on TV tonight (27th November 2008) on RTÉ One at 8:30pm.

[Lunar Loops]

Originally Posted by Joe Duffy

Geez don’t do that, I thought I lost a day there for a moment, “Buyer Beware!” is on TV tonight (27th November 2008) on RTÉ One at 8:30pm.

Shit, yeah sorry. I'm obviously working too hard and perhaps wishing the weekend was closer than it actually is. Still not going to be able to see it as I'm out working again. Any chance of a bit of a report tomorrow?

[podge]

Just watched it..... completely useless. The show was about underage people getting served BZP and Salvia in head shops, and the presenters disapproving stance of the whole thing. No debate, no discussion, a couple of selective interviews with people against the drugs.... the end. Oh he also claimed Kratom was incredibly hallucinagenic. Dont waste your time with this, i bet Grainne Kenny would approve though.

Reputation Comments on this post:

anks for the summary.

[Lunar Loops]

Oh dear, I did wonder. I'm sure Gráinne Kenny would love to jump his bones, if she didn't disapprove of sex outside of child production.

Thanks for the heads up.

Originally Posted by podge

Just watched it..... completely useless. The show was about underage people getting served BZP and Salvia in head shops, and the presenters disapproving stance of the whole thing. No debate, no discussion, a couple of selective interviews with people against the drugs.... the end. Oh he also claimed Kratom was incredibly hallucinagenic. Dont waste your time with this, i bet Grainne Kenny would approve though.

[Nature Boy]

Didn't see it but my brother told me it was ridiculously one-sided. Apparently, presenter Philip "Douchebag" Hayes appeared on the RTÉ comedy discussion show The Panel and came across badly however. In one sense, this show might have done more good than bad.

I'm getting really sick of these cocksuckers poking cheap shots at headshops. They do nothing illegal. Their beef shouldn't be with headshops. If they're so concerned, they need to go to the government. Unfortunately, all it takes is a sob story to get things done around here. Banning a psychoactive is easy. Undoing that damage is virtually impossible. I wish they listened to the scientific concensus when it comes to drug policy. Most reputable scientists know very well that prohibiting a drug ultimately does more damage. Purity is the key.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Common (or maybe not so common) sense as always.

[Mr. Giraffe]

My favourite part was when Douchebag stood close to a head shop in the centre of Dublin and proclaimed (outraged): "Less than 50 meters from here, I can legally purchase mood and mind-altering drugs", without appearing to realise that the nearby pubs would fit the same criteria as the dreaded headshops. I just hope none of the headshop staff lose their jobs over it - okay, maybe they should have been stricter about looking for ID, but when you are talking to a fellow young person, you have certain expectations - what you don't expect is for them to be wearing a wire which is transmitting to a 40 year old attention seeker outside.

[Nature Boy]

Although it would be advisable for the headshops to introduce a minimum age requirement as Alfa mentioned in another thread, there still isn't anything in law that demands this. Elderly housewives may gasp in awe but no law is actually being broken. What this journalist is doing resembles borderline harassment. That's why the headshops need to tighten up their belts and get the PR issue under control.

[Lunar Loops]

They are definitely going to have to start acting more responsibly (i.e. demanding ID and not selling to anyone under 18...may not be law, but it should be sommon sense) and become more media savvy if they wish to stay in business.

That programme has done damage. Conversations were overheard in the pub last night about it and they were all pretty negative. Couldn't believe that this sort of thing could be allowed. Apparently one the children served was a girl of 12?

Originally Posted by Nature Boy

Although it would be advisable for the headshops to introduce a minimum age requirement as Alfa mentioned in another thread, there still isn't anything in law that demands this. Elderly housewives may gasp in awe but no law is actually being broken. What this journalist is doing resembles borderline harassment. That's why the headshops need to tighten up their belts and get the PR issue under control.

[podge]

Originally Posted by Lunar Loops

Apparently one the children served was a girl of 12?

The youngest to get served was 14.

[Joe Duffy]

I see that “Buyer Beware!” is on RTÉ One at 1:40pm today (Sunday November 30th 2008) I would imagine this is a repeat of Thursday night’s programme.

[Alfa]

Is it viewable online? If so, then please post the link.

[Joe Duffy]

Originally Posted by Alfa

Is it viewable online? If so, then please post the link.

I just looked at the RTÉ website and it doesn’t appear to be.

[Mr. Giraffe]

Since the programme isn't one of the lucky ones to be posted online by RTE, I'll offer a short summary for those who can't watch it for themselves.

Presenter, (another damned) Boucher Hayes, makes clear that he's anti-drugs, sets us up for shocking revelations about children being sold drugs, gives some background to the head shop situation, interviews an old dude who thinks he's a drug expert who manages to confuse the entire legal situation in 5 seconds flat, leaving the viewer in no doubt that something shady is going on.

A couple of attention-seeking 'experts' are wheeled out (memory forbids, but one is that Dr. Chris Luke from Cork who just loves shocking middle Ireland with drug horror stories) - so the viewer is then given the message that plants are expert producers of poison and that these natural blends may actually be hideously dangerous. BZP comes in for a particularly dishonest analysis, which runs something like follows: since other pyschoactives - cannabis is mentioned - have been linked to pyschosis, it is reasonable to expect that BZP would also cause pyschosis. Flawless logic! Or so it seems, because the presenter hasn't bothered to seek out a second opinion.

So then we're into the action. We are shown a number of clips of underage customers being sent in, with hidden cameras and wearing ridiculously dramatic 'wires' which connect them to the presenter, who is on the street outside, waiting to wade in demanding an explanation. He explains that the owners of the two head shops he tried to get an interview with wouldn't give one. I can think of at least three head shop owners who would probably have given one, but Boucher Hayes only asked the notoriously publicity shy ones.

He also failed to include a convincingly large number of hidden cam shots. The impression I was left with was that these may have been the only four successes in the entire head shop trawl and that dozens of ID-required encounters were left on the cutting floor. In the end, only one such scene is included, leaving the viewer with the impression that the shops are happy to sell to teenagers despite their apparent self-regulation.

The final portion of the show (and remember, the raison d'etre of the show is to expose cases of the consumer being misled) focussed on the possibility that the 'mystery pills' could contain anything. In the end, they contained exactly what was stated on the packet. Nonetheless, Boucher Hayes prodded the scientist (who wouldn't necessarily have a clue about pharmacology, given that he is working in analysis...) to say something about how it wouldn't be a good idea to give them to a 14 year old girl.

And then the presenter ranted about how government ought to DO SOMETHING about the situation. He mentioned that the shops had not actually broken the law, but he said this was the fault of the law-makers, who should make this sort of thing illegal forthwith.

It was a very effective and damaging piece of propaganda, and the viewer would almost certainly conclude that head shops are drug dispensing menaces to society.

[Lunar Loops]

Originally Posted by Mr. Giraffe

It was a very effective and damaging piece of propaganda, and the viewer would almost certainly conclude that head shops are drug dispensing menaces to society.

Yes, and that's pretty much what I've been hearing all weekend from people who saw it. It's on TV, it's a serious show and they couldn't possibly be telling lies or have their facts all screwed up. Your average Joe in the street takes what they see on TV at face value and wouldn't even think to question it. When it comes to a subject as emotionally charged as 'drugs' they already have a negative view of those that indulge due to societal conditioning.

[Nature Boy]

Originally Posted by Mr. Giraffe

So then we're into the action. We are shown a number of clips of underage customers being sent in, with hidden cameras and wearing ridiculously dramatic 'wires' which connect them to the presenter, who is on the street outside, waiting to wade in demanding an explanation. He explains that the owners of the two head shops he tried to get an interview with wouldn't give one. I can think of at least three head shop owners who would probably have given one, but Boucher Hayes only asked the notoriously publicity shy ones.

Ha! It sounds like To Catch a Predator with Chris Hansen.