Central Florida Future, Vol. 13 No. 2, July 17, 1980

              Futura
Vol. 13
Thursday, July 17, 1980
UCF LIBRARY
ARCHIVES
University of
Central Florida
No. 2
Owners go down fighting
Head Shops: A lost species
by Dan Childers
staff writer
Barbara Cowell
managing editor
Barbara Compton
freelance writer
Frank Forester
editor-in-chief
Despite reports of solidarity and
legal preparation by Florida "head
shops" against the October 1
paraphernalia law, local businesses are
already feeling the pressure.
Two stores have had their phones
disconnected. The Zig Zag in south
Orlando and Doctor Feelgoods in the
Greater Mall in Casselberry show no
current listing according to Winter
Park directory assistance.
Stores which feature smoking and
novelty paraphernalia items as a
sideline appear ready to comply.
Craig Michaels at Record Mart in
Colonial Plaza, said the store will stop
selling paraphernalia altogether. A
spokesman for East-West records on
South Orange Ave. says thev will also
end their sales.
Neither business plans to fight the
law, and they have not contributed to
the Florida Businessmen for Free Enterprise, a Miami-based legal fund
organizing to challenge the law.
"If they mean all pipes, I may go
out of business."
Two stores on Highway 50 were approached for contributions by Marc
Gilbert of the FBFE, but had differing
versions of the expectations of that
organization.
Nancy Noyes, manager of the Infinite Mushroom in Colonial Plaza said
she could not talk to the press. She did
say that the store was a member of the
FBFE, but she said that had "nothing
to do with the reason for not talking."
A former employee of the Infinite
Mushroom said the employees had
been told not to talk to reporters by
Marc Gilbert, and that the store had
donated two contributions of $500
each to the defense fund. Another
source confirmed those sums and said
the store is buying more paraphernalia
than ever and "more gold than I've
ever seen in my life." Both thought the
store might be planning to adopt a different business approach after October
since the store recently purchased
samples of pipe tobacco.
When the Future attempted to locate"
the   owners   of   the   Mushroom,   the
Business and Occupational License Office   in   Orlando   said   the   store   was
Pipes, bongs and other drug para
become illegal on Oct. 6.
owned by Decor on the Mall,  Inc.
However  the  Corporate  Information
Office run by the Secretary of State in
Tallahassee, said the corporation was
dissolved in  1970.   The records with
the county lists Grace Lindblom as the
proprietor.   Lindblom is a member of
the Orlando Utilities Commission, but "
could not be reaehed for comment.
Burton   Rosinek,    secretary-treasurer
of FBFE and president of a wholesale
"smoking and snuff accessories" company, said it was true the FBFE had
asked members not to make statements
to the press. It was not an attempt to
infringe on the member's freedom of
speech but "because when we give interviews to the press they turn it
around and make us sound like
assholes," he said.
"They are going to make up their
own minds (about drugs)
anyway."
phernalia will        a full page on
See page 8.
laws prohibiting the sale of paraphernalia. The group is currently fighting
local ordinances in Ft. Lauderdale,
Hollywood, Homestead and Pinellas
County. FBFE will begin the attack on
the state law in August, Rosinek said.
The Future presents
the expected controversial law.
"The only reason I'm talking to you
is because Marc Gilbert (FBFE
president) is out of town. We're sick
and tired of being misquoted by the
press," he said.
BOR approves funds
Rosinek said the FBFE was started in
Februarv 1979 and has so far collected
and  spent over  $30,000  challenging
The Board of Regents approved
$250,000 last week for additional
faculty positions at UCF, according to
UCF president Trevor Colbourn.
The money is a temporary allocation
of salaries for 14 full-time and additional part-time positions. Money to
retain the instructors will be included
in the school budget next year,
Colbourn said.
The additional faculty members will
allow UCF to accept approximately
500 more students than last year, but
Colbourn said nearly 500 applicants
will be turned away because of personnel shortages.
Currently, UCF has the highest
student-faculty ratio in the state
university system, about 18 to 1.
Additional funds to curtail that ratio
are being held "in limbo" by Gov. Bob
Graham's veto of the higher education
bill last week.
An Orlando publication quoted
Colbourn as saying he was disappointed in the governor's veto, because it
threatens $441,000 in university pay
raises.
Today's
Future
Go Parking
. The parks of Orlando have a lot to offer to UCF students. Ree services here on
campus also provide programs to while
away on afternoon. Look on page 10 for
the stories.
Heads Roll
The anti-paraphernalia law promises
to he one of the most controversial bill to
come out of the Florida legislature this
year. Turn to page 8 for the whole story
on this law and what is being planned.
J