Finding An Indianapolis Head Shop

By Paulette Short


If you're a smoker, you may find that it's becoming more and more difficult to buy the paraphernalia you need from regular outlets. So many people frown upon customers buying rolling papers or pipes that you may feel as if you're buying something illegal. In Indiana, the solution is to visit an Indianapolis head shop for all your smoking needs.

Head shops are outlets that sell smoking paraphernalia as well as other products for use with tobacco. Along with pipes and cigarette papers, they also sell items like cigarette filters, rolling machines and vaporizers or water pipes if you want that flavored tobacco to go down more smoothly. They sell other items too, from candles and incense to clothing and underground comics.

The first of the stores to sell smoking paraphernalia seems to be one that was opened in San Francisco's Haight Street in 1966. It was the era of beatniks and hippies and soon similar shops sprung up everywhere near college campuses where young people embraced the counterculture. For a couple of decades they weren't as successful anymore but they are now becoming in vogue again.

Head shops don't only sell smoking paraphernalia. They often stock items like posters, comic books, clothing, jewelry, candles and novelty items too. In fact, many of these shops started out as candle shops and artists of the counterculture found most of their clients through these outlets, as did publishers of underground newspapers and comic books.

While many people think of head shops as places where you can buy illegal drugs, this is a misconception. The items sold here are for use with legal substances like tobacco only. While they may be useful as drug paraphernalia, even mentioning this might get you expelled from the shop.

Especially in Indiana you shouldn't make the mistake of thinking the local smoke shop will approve of you using their products for illegal drugs. Marijuana laws in the state are still very strict and penalties for possession are severe. Until the state relaxes its laws in this regard, you're better off using the paraphernalia you buy for legal substances like flavored tobacco.

If you're in Indianapolis and you're looking for a unique gift for a smoker or for someone with bohemian sensibilities, you can't go wrong visiting a shop that sells glass pipes, incense, interesting T-shirts and other items. You may even be able to find glow-in-the-dark posters. Buying from one of these stores is a sure way to earn you the admiration of teenage nieces and nephews too.

If you're looking for an Indianapolis head shop near you, the best is to go online to get addresses, details on stock and prices and customer reviews. There are stores in different areas of the city, for instance in Speedway. Most of the stores are located in bohemian Broad Ripple Village, an area north of downtown which is reminiscent of Greenwich Village in New York. This neighborhood is known for its bustling nightlife, ethnic diversity, artists and of course its proximity to Butler University.




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