BALTIMORE (WBFF) — If Baltimore smoke shops are targeting kids or selling weed without a license, some elected officials want to put a padlock on the door.
City Council President Zeke Cohen and Councilman Antonio Glover stood along East Monument Street Monday morning talking about why they want to give the law enforcement the authority to put padlocks on what they described as bad actors, or smoke shops that repeatedly flout the law.
“In too many cases, they are either selling to minors, or they are selling products that are under-regulated that they are not supposed to sell,” Cohen said. “For example, cannabis when they don’t have a license to sell it, or in some cases, we’ve heard about traces of fentanyl and other very dangerous chemicals being found in these products.”
There are more than 1,200 smoke shops within the Baltimore city limits, putting the density at 15 shops per square mile, according to a 2024 report from the Maryland Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Commission.
But just because they have a license doesn’t mean rules are being followed. With flavors like cotton candy, or advertising geared toward kids, the two leaders said Baltimore’s youth are finding it easy to walk into some shops and walk out with things they shouldn’t have.
“I’ve seen it, I’ve witnessed it, I’ve gotten those emails, I got those calls in reference to, I don’t know what was sold to my kid, but now we’re in Johns Hopkins Hospital because of it,” Glover said. “I’ve gotten phone calls from the community where they’re saying, you know what, they’ve been hit, they even raided two or three times, and they’re still coming into our community. That’s a slap in the community’s face.”
Under the proposal, there will be an administrative hearing with the Office of Consumer Protection after two violations. Then, if it’s determined to be closed, the shop would be shuttered.
“Look, our message here today is clear: If you are going to prey on our kids and our communities, we are going to shut you down,” Cohen said.
“We’re not anti-business, we’re against those that are producing illegal products to our young people that are coming in and out of these schools every day,” Glover added.
While the council has been focused on affordability, Cohen said, other issues like the “mass proliferation of pop-up smoke shops” are a priority as well.
“We are using the power, the tools at our disposal, to go after the bad actors,” Cohen said. “This is about targeting the people that are doing hard, that are prettying on our most vulnerable communities right here in the City of Baltimore.”
Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.
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