The Selling of Legal Drugs and Drug Paraphernalia in Tattoo Shops

The sale and use of “legal” herbal substances and drug paraphernalia disguised as innocent products has been around for ages. Head shops can legally sell herbal “potpourri,” water pipes, roach clips, rolling papers, measuring and weighing devices, and little plastic baggies without facing prosecution. Each of those items could, theoretically, be used for legal and innocent purposes, and it’s the shop owner’s claim that it’s not his business what people do with the products he sells once they leave the shop. I don’t have a problem with head shops; it’s easy enough for me to choose not to go inside one of these stores if I don’t care for the things they sell. But what about tattoo shops that also sell these same products? If it’s legal, is there any reason they shouldn’t have the same right as a head shop to sell them?

The Past Is in the Past
There was a time when tattoo parlors were the center of the underworld; dark, seedy, dirty and catering to the dregs of society. Tattooers knew and cared very little for sterile practices, and clients had low expectations of quality. Tattoos went hand-in-hand with heavy drinking, drugs, gang involvement, crime, and prison life. Back then, it would have been no surprise to see your local tattoo shop also selling bongs and even illegal drugs on the side. But the tattoo industry has evolved to a much higher standard than it held in those days, and that means it’s also time to shed the negative image that incorporating drug use portrays.

Most tattoo shops have already reached this higher standard, but there are still a handful out there that stick to the old ways. There’s even the occasional raid that reveals that illegal drugs have been peddled during “off” hours or in the back rooms of tattoo establishments. This kind of activity is completely unacceptable, and shop owners who wish to make their money in such a way have no place in the current tattoo industry.

Even legal substances – herbal supplements that produce highs similar to illegal drugs - should not have any place in a tattoo shop. Since the law doesn't permit anyone to get a tattoo while under the influence - legal or otherwise - why would anyone in this business want to encourage their clientele to compromise their sobriety? And a bong is a bong, even if you put a flower in it and sell it as a vase. This just isn’t the kind of image that the current tattoo industry condones; it’s not about being a badass anymore, it’s about art and the continually rising standards of quality.

Time for a Change
If I enter a tattoo shop and see even the slightest hint of drug paraphernalia being sold, I will walk right out. There are too many shop owners and artists out there working hard to raise the bar of the industry and making their money without participating in shady activities. It’s time for the old schoolers to update their practices or close their doors for good.