If you want to light up in San Joaquin County, you may not be able to find as many smoke shops in the future to feed your habit.
The Board of Supervisors voted this week to draw up an ordinance that would ban new smoke shops from opening in the county’s unincorporated areas. Officially, there are eight — although the Sheriff’s Office and county officials say there could be as many as 20 operating in the county’s jurisdiction.
Without being specific, supervisors characterized the shops as unsavory establishments. For instance, board Chair Paul Canepa called one smoke shop on Harding Way in Stockton — he didn’t specify it by name — “a hot mess.”
“We must align regulations with our city partners to prevent prohibited activities and protect schools, parks and children,” Canepa said in a statement on social media.
Supervisor Robert Rickman expressed concern over what items the shops might be carrying, such as hemp products and anything containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient found in marijuana.
Some areas have too many of the stores, the supervisors complained. Supervisor Mario Gardea pointed to three smoke shops clustered within a mile of each other in District 1, which he represents. There’s a need to protect the community from an “overabundance of smoke shops,” he said, adding that a moratorium “is definitely the right move forward.”
Besides halting new smoke shops, the supervisors are expected to look at follow-up measures to better regulate the stores’ operations and where they are located. Some fear smoke shops have opened too close to schools or other places where youth congregate.
But it’s not an easy issue. It was pointed out to the board that tobacco and other items sold in smoke shops are readily available at more conventional locations. The county health department has identified 134 such shops that sell tobacco products.
San Joaquin County’s interest in smoke shops follows concerns raised by Stockton city officials. Vice Mayor Jason Lee called for a moratorium last month on new smoke shops in the city, ABC10 News reported. At the same time, Stockton police launched a crackdown to make sure smoke shops aren’t selling favored tobacco products, which have been banned in the state.
The moratorium will be considered for final approval at the March 11 Board of Supervisors meeting at 9 a.m. in Stockton.