At a meeting earlier this week, Desjardins led a charge of her council to look for ways to stop the sale of glass tubes, steel wool by the chunk and baking soda, all items used in the smoking of crack.

After the meeting, she said there may be little the municipality can do but by discussing the issue, people may come on side and voluntarily stop selling the items.

"There is nothing to stop people from selling those things because they are all legal items," she said. "We may not be able to do anything through a bylaw.

"But public awareness and businesses being part of the solution, as opposed to being part of the problem, is what I want to push forward."

She said she was alarmed when she first learned of the wide sale of the glass tubes, normally featured with little flowers inside. A store owner selling the tubes also told her he was selling steel wool in small pieces and that the baking soda he stocks is kept behind the counter because it was routinely stolen.

Desjardins said she was not impressed when the store owner told her if he didn't sell the drug kit ingredients, somebody else would.

"I don't want to see those items sold in stores and not in stores close to schools," said Desjardins. "I will be speaking with the business community on this."

Councillors also heard from Victoria Police Insp. Les Sylven, who told them police have few options since laws don't prohibit the sale of these items. But Sylven agreed to supply a report on the items that are quickly and easily turned into drug-ingestion gear.

Other drug paraphernalia routinely sold includes cigarette rolling papers and the products and substances that can quickly be turned into a kit for making methamphetamine.

But the crack pipe fixings are the most notable, said Sylven.

"This is the thing that within five minutes of buying it, they are using it," said Sylven.

Outside the meeting, Sylven said some U.S. cities have come down on the sale of glass tubes and steel wool with bylaws, but he wasn't sure how successful the tactic has been.