Sellers of the gizmos and paraphernalia for smoking cannabis in the ACT have welcomed the decision to legalise possession of the drug in the territory.
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But it might not make much difference to their business, some of them said.
Consumers of marijuana who want to buy the special glass "bongs" in which the herb is burned to emit mood-changing smoke for inhalation already know where the products are available, said one seller.
She didn't foresee a big increase in demand for the water pipes but welcomed a change in the law.
It was just recognising a reality about a widely used drug which she felt was safe.
Her colleague in the store thought legalisation would help the drug gain acceptance.
"There will be more open talk. Less taboo," said Jennifer Lawrence, assistant manager of Hello Sexy which has a section selling "bongs", the glass flasks used for the preparation of cannabis so that it can be inhaled without smoking it with tobacco. She thought cigarettes were more dangerous.
"At least 80 per cent of our customers for cannabis gear have full time jobs," said Hannah Greene who manages the store in Fyshwick.
"They are functioning human beings. They are normal, every-day people.
"You would be surprised at the variety of people who come in."
One person in the store said cannabis helped her cut down on anxiety and so made medicinal drugs unnecessary. It took her off medication.
Selling this kind of glass apparatus for cannabis (marijuana, dope, pot) is legal in the ACT but not elsewhere in Australia so Canberra was something of a mecca for smokers of pot.
"We get regulars coming from Wagga and from the coast," she said.
In Sydney, for example, the sale of marijuana paraphernalia was under the counter. The police confiscate and prosecute any sellers. Being caught is a costly business.
Ms Greene said that the key legal thing was to block ice (crystal meth) while allowing marijuana in its different forms.
"Anything to do with ice should be illegal," said Ms Greene. Her assistant manager, Jennifer Lawrence echoed her instantly with "Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah."
The sale of ice paraphernalia is illegal everywhere, including in the ACT. The glass tube for its use is closed whereas with the cannabis bong is open. The configuration is different.
And so are the people. "Before they have even come around the corner, I will know they are on ice," said shop manager, Ms Greene. "The way they talk. They've got bad teeth. The way they walk. They are just very out of control."
She said any trouble with customers in her shop was usually with ice addicts seeking paraphernalia which the shop doesn't and won't sell. Cannabis users were no more trouble than customers of any other type of shop.
"Ice will ruin your life," she and her assistant, Ms Lawrence said as one.
Other shops selling glass pipes were cagey about talking about their trade. One said that the pipes or bongs were sold for non-narcotic use and if a potential customer mentioned cannabis they were not served.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
