Baltimore City Council approves bill allowing police to padlock repeat-offender smoke shops

Baltimore's City Council voted Monday to authorize the police department to "padlock" smoke shops that repeatedly violate the law by selling unlicensed cannabis or controlled dangerous substances.

The bill now heads to Mayor Brandon Scott to be signed.

Under the bill, the Baltimore Police Department can seek an abatement order from the Office of Administrative Hearings for any business that receives two citations for illegally selling cannabis or a controlled dangerous substance.

After an administrative hearing, the office can issue a proposed abatement order that could include padlocking the business as a nuisance.

BPD would then have 15 days to abate the nuisance.

The Office of Administrative Hearings is an independent state agency that provides an impartial forum to resolve contested disputes involving citizens, businesses and Maryland state agencies.

"This City Council is committed to making sure residents feel safe in their neighborhoods," Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen said. "We expect our residents to play by the rules – and we should expect our businesses to do the same. Nuisance smoke shops should not be allowed to operate with impunity, especially when they are selling poison to our kids. Too often, however, we have conducted raids and fined the stores, just for them to open back up the very next day. That is unacceptable. This bill will give our Police Department the tools it needs to padlock and shut bad actors down."

City officials said approximately 1,400 smoke shops in Baltimore City are licensed by the state to sell tobacco.

The legislation follows testimony from city officials and residents who said some smoke shops sell untested, unregulated and dangerous products, including to children.

Last summer, Scott signed a similar measure into law requiring smoke shops in the city to be at least 750 feet away from schools, parks and recreation centers.

"The people we represent have been clear and direct with us – they want us to take serious action when smoke shops wreak havoc and harm our communities," Baltimore City Council member Antonio Glover said. "When these nuisance smoke shops see raids and fines as the cost of doing business, we have an obligation to step in and protect our neighbors. This bill gives our police department the tools in their toolbox to hold these nuisance smoke shops accountable and to protect our residents."