Rules Will Be Inforced At The Place

[TOW]

I just want to say this, the law here in Damascus does not give a damn if anyone smokes pot and the Methodist church does not care either. But what the methodist church does care about is if it is being done on their property that they offer as a cheap service to the hiking community and they have a right to say no to anyone at The Place with alcohol or illegal drugs. They also have a right to enforce that rule by any means possible.

[Doughnut]

That deserves an Easter Sunday resounding "AMEN".

DoughNut

[Lone Wolf]

and i can tell you this, LEOs WILL be running drug sniffing canines thru the building. they were there yesterday with a very cool german shepard. one hiker was caught with a very small amount.

[rickb]

and i can tell you this, LEOs WILL be running drug sniffing canines thru the building. they were there yesterday with a very cool german shepard. one hiker was caught with a very small amount.

Police dogs used randomly in a hostel is not cool. If its come to that, better to shut the place down.

[nufsaid]

Police dogs are not cool. If its come to that, better to shut the place down.

Police dogs are wonderful. People who flaunt the law and rules of a place trying to offer services to the hiking public at extremely low prices are not cool.

[Lone Wolf]

Police dogs used randomly in a hostel is not cool. If its come to that, better to shut the place down.

That really sucks.
I agree with Rickb.

no sympathy. time and time again these hikers break the clearly written, simple posted rules. maybe this will be the year it gets shut down. all the future folks that walk thru this town will suffer by not having a cheap place to stay. the "hiker community" has proven they can't come into town and be respectful

[Bearpaw]

Police dogs used randomly in a hostel is not cool. If its come to that, better to shut the place down.

No it's not.

[randyg45]

Police dogs used randomly in a hostel is not cool. If its come to that, better to shut the place down.

How about just leaving your drugs ouside the hostel? Or quitting? or I call LEO for you?

[fiddlehead]

and i can tell you this, LEOs WILL be running drug sniffing canines thru the building. they were there yesterday with a very cool german shepard. one hiker was caught with a very small amount.

That really sucks.
I agree with Rickb.

[Lyle]

My only comment:

While it is well within the rights of the Church to enforce their no alcohol/no pot rules, and these rules should be respected willingly, using random searches by drug dogs seems a bit extreme. I agree perhaps it should be closed down, if not permanently, then for a season. That should get the message out loud and clear.

I do not smoke, use mind altering drugs, and very seldom drink alcohol. But many thru and section hikers do. My point is that hikers are carrying their homes on their backs. If they have pot, what are they to do with it while staying at the Place?

Good folks, who may abide by the rules and refrain from using while at the Place will get caught up in these "sweeps" as well as the inconsiderates who would flaunt the rules.

I know those who support this action will say "So what, they brought it onto the property" but I think that is a pretty narrow minded view. It is sad that it has come to this point. I have some fond memories of time spent at the Place.

[Tin Man]

are guns allowed at the place?

[Marta]

My only comment:

If they have pot, what are they to do with it while staying at the Place?

The Place is not the only game in town. There are other places to stay, and one can make a good case for not staying in town at all, but resupplying and hiking on through.

I'm not going to debate the pros of drug laws and enforcement (mostly because I think there aren't any pros), but the situation is what it is, and hikers should know about it ahead of time, and make their plans accordingly. To LW's point, if there hadn't been so many bad apples passing through The Place, the police would never have become involved in trying to enforce the rules.

[Lone Wolf]

My only comment:

While it is well within the rights of the Church to enforce their no alcohol/no pot rules, and these rules should be respected willingly, using random searches by drug dogs seems a bit extreme. I agree perhaps it should be closed down, if not permanently, then for a season. That should get the message out loud and clear.

I do not smoke, use mind altering drugs, and very seldom drink alcohol. But many thru and section hikers do. My point is that hikers are carrying their homes on their backs. If they have pot, what are they to do with it while staying at the Place?

Good folks, who may abide by the rules and refrain from using while at the Place will get caught up in these "sweeps" as well as the inconsiderates who would flaunt the rules.

I know those who support this action will say "So what, they brought it onto the property" but I think that is a pretty narrow minded view. It is sad that it has come to this point. I have some fond memories of time spent at the Place.

"if they have pot, what are they to do with it while staying at the Place?" it's illegal. who cares what they do with it. go stay somewhere else or sffer the consequences. it's really simple

[neighbor dave]

weed's ill-eagle and ya aint s'possed to have it in there ,but will they be doing random sniff tests when walkin down the street next??

[Tin Man]

weed's ill-eagle and ya aint s'possed to have it in there ,but will they be doing random sniff tests when walkin down the street next??

if you are carrying and you see an officer with a dog, is it a random test or are you just too stupid to walk the other way?

[neighbor dave]

if you are carrying and you see an officer with a dog, is it a random test or are you just too stupid to walk the other way?

i don't indulge in smoking the weed. smoking anything aint good for your health.
i don't think we need cops walking down the streets of the united states of america sniffing out pot smokers. money could be better spent

[fiddlehead]

weed's ill-eagle and ya aint s'possed to have it in there ,but will they be doing random sniff tests when walkin down the street next??

And where would it stop? I can see it now, drug dogs at all the gaps.

With all the killings happening in the country anymore, i'm surprised they're worried about a little pot.

[Tin Man]

And where would it stop? I can see it now, drug dogs at all the gaps.

With all the killings happening in the country anymore, i'm surprised they're worried about a little pot.

the drug dogs were invited to the place. now it's silly time for the drug crowd... or should i say the paranoid crowd...

[Grampie]

More and more services given to hikers for free or for little costs are being withdrawn because of abuse by the few. In order to keep these services available to hikers the folks who abide by the rules should remind those who don't. Some time it may take a little more effort than just a reminder.
If we do our own policeing we won't need outside help.

[superman]

Good news for whacky weed smokers! There's a real nice place to stay over in Abingdon. I've stayed there during Tail Days in 2000 and few times after that. It's dog freindly and they don't search anything. Nice big tv that gets Animal Planet. I think it only cost me $120 a night.

PS I don't even smoke regular cigarettes.