Doing Lines at School

via https://www.greenhousetreatment.com

Market Tower via Google Maps.

Snuff is popular in Germany (apparently all of Europe).  Here in the States though, it’s not really known.  Though I hear that some specialty tobacco stores may carry it.  When I’d visit Germany, my Opa would drag me around with him proudly.  Among the places we’d go would be pubs, or gasthaus.  He’d play cards.  Or shoot the shit with his buds.  Invariably somebody would pull out a can of snuffy and they’d pass it around.  The first time I saw this it was a big deal.  Opa uses tobacco?!?

For years I’d hear my Opa rail against my parents who were heavy smokers.  I was against tobacco, so he was preaching to the choir.  But there he was, snorting tobacco up his nose.  They claimed it kept their noses clear, was great for their sinuses.  Maybe?  It was a quick direct hit of nicotine.  Without tar, or cyanide and there was no danger of second hand smoke.  But it could still be addictive.  Once offered I declined stating, “Ich hass Tobak!”.  They laughed and moved on.

Within a day or so Opa took me to the stadt to the Tobacco store.  It’s a place he took me many times before.  He’d go in and chat it up with the owner.  

The tobacco store at the foot of the Market Tower via Google maps.

I loved the building.  It was a cute shop built at the foot of a tower.  It was the Markt Tower built in the 1200’s.  How awesome is it to own a business at a building that’s 800 years old? 

Anyway, Opa bought me my first can of snuffy.  Despite my initial protestations, he assured me it was tobacco free.  

It was this round plastic can that rotated to reveal a hole.  It was Ozona brand Snuffy.  He talked me through it.  I made a fist and tapped some out between my thumb and index finger.  It was a small pile of white powder.  And I snorted it like cocaine.  Holy cow!  I’m not gonna say it was a kick like snorting glue  but it was a pick me up.  Almost felt like I was getting stabbed in the lower corner of my eye.  Tears fell out.

But it felt refreshing.  Man, that felt good.  I did that stuff all summer.  No, it wasn’t a gateway, I never did the tobacco stuff.

Before returning to the states for my sophomore year, I’d buy a bottle of Poschl's Schneeburg Weiss.  It was in an awesome glass bottle and looked great.  I loved it.  I’d use it on and off that winter, it really did seem to clear me up.  I don’t know why but one day in the following Spring I brought it with me to school.  It was in biology class when I swiped it out and snorted it.  It drew the attention of several.  In particular it got Josh H’s attention.  I explained it wasn’t coke.  He wanted to try it.  I cautioned that it burns and he should try just a little at first.  Surely he’d heed my warning.  Josh?  Oh hell no!

Josh didn’t tap it onto his hand either.  He dumped it out.  A huge line on his desk.  More than I had ever tried.  And then he went to town.  No hesitation.  All-in.  And quick.  He shot up straight in his desk.  Face red as Donald Trump’s ass after getting spanked with a magazine by Stormy Daniels.  

I put the snuff away and never brought it back.  Did not want the kind of attention Josh would bring again.

My bottle would eventually run empty.  A couple subsequent visits to Germany and I didn’t bother buying the stuff.  It was nice and seemed to clear me up, but beyond those two bottles I never really wanted anymore.  Maybe one day I’ll buy online out of nostalgia.  It’s kind of sick thinking back that part of the “rush” was thinking of it as an illicit drug, like as an 8 or 9 year old putting flour in a zip lock bag pretending to have a kilo of coke.  I certainly don’t want my sons exposed to that temptation. 

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