NEWS:News.com.au - 4/01/08 'Getting high is in your heels'

Getting high is in your heels
Fiona Connolly
4/01/08

THEY bring new meaning to the term high heels - a pair of must-have thongs known as "stash sandals" in which teenagers can hide drugs and drink.

The latest must-have fashion accessory with hidden storage compartment allows users to store their "gear" in the heel of the thongs, which come with a screw cap and key.

Manufactured by surf label Reef and available in most surf stores for about $70, the thongs are marketed as an alcohol container, with the key doubling up as a bottle opener.

A Reef spokesman yesterday denied the shoes were designed to hold alcohol or drugs, but could not explain the purpose of the storage compartment.

"A lot of things happen in shoes, people go on trips and put their money in shoes," he said.

The popular Christmas gift is part of Reef's range bearing the name of surfing champion Mick Fanning, which also includes thongs with built-in bottle openers on the soles.

Rip Curl and Globe also make board shorts with bottle openers stitched in.

Drug and alcohol groups yesterday condemned the design.

"It's a very foolish company heading down a dangerous path that creates their products to be used in this way," Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia's Paul Dillon said.

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