DOZENS of smoke stores are set to disappear across one US city thanks to a new law, and there’s only 30 days for businesses to comply.
New legislation passed in the area will force over 120 stores to follow the new guidelines, massively changing the landscape of the city and impacting countless jobs.
Dozens of smoke stores are set to disappear across one US city thanks to a new law, and there’s only 30 days for businesses to complyGETTYEarlier in June, a new law passed in the city of Fresno, California, will force a massive reduction in the number of smoke shops.
Legislators say that this is being done to combat high crime levels in the city, which they say is being increased by the presence of the stores.
The cut sees the more than 120 smoke shops being cut to a total of seven per council district.
This allows for a total of 49 to be left standing in Fresno, and it went into effect from June 5.
Fresno City Council Vice President Miguel Arias said: “Every council district south of Shaw is completely overwhelmed by smoke shops, and those smoke shops have led to a significant increase in crime.”
It was explained that many of the smoke shops had been linked to the illegal sale of drugs and other criminal activities.
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz added: “The majority of the smoke shops that we were looking at have sold illegal cannabis.
“The majority of the smoke shops that we were looking at were selling illegal tobacco.
“Many of those smoke shops also have gambling operations. We’ve discovered at least 15 firearms.”
The new rules come with strict constraints, prohibiting smoke shops near schools, parks and daycares.
The remaining smoke shops will also be forced to install surveillance cameras and maintain a clean exterior.
The laws came down fast on the smoke shop landscape in Fresno.
Those businesses that were found to be operating illegally were not given any grace period, and were instead shut down with immediate effect.
The extension of 180 days granted to some allows the businesses to sell off remaining product and apply for a permit to remain open under the new legislations.
The majority of the smoke shops that we were looking at have sold illegal cannabis
Andrew Janz, Fresno City AttorneyCOMMUNITY PUSHBACK
The new crackdown has led to a quick response from business owners in the city.
Leaders of the California Association of Smoke Shops have filed a federal lawsuit to block the law.
Lawyer Todd Wynkoop told The Fresno Bee: “The association and I are disheartened by the actions of the city council with regard both to the surreptitious process by which the four proponents and city staff advanced the ordinance and the contents of the ordinance
The suit claims that the new ordinance is “impossible to implement”.
Employees have also spoken out about the law, claiming it is going to damage working families.
Maummer Ghazi, an employee at a smoke shop, commented: “The good shops are definitely going to pay their price.
“That’s for sure, that’s wrong. If you can see I only have clothing, some other items, posters. I don’t do any of the illegal stuff.
“Each store has a family, so that’s at least what 100 smoke shops are going to close down?
“So, that’s 100 families that are going to go. Where are they going to work? How are they going to feed their kids?”
But the law has been defended as a simple matter of classifying smoke shops, which before this had been operating basically unregulated.
Councilmember Nelson Esparza said that the smoke shops are essentially just being treated with the same rules as cannabis or alcohol sellers.
He said: “Really, just come pick up a business license and operate as a retail shop is really how it was going before, very little to no proper regulation.”
Stores have 30 days to fall under the new rules, and the next 18 months will see the start of code enforcement from police.
GettyEarlier in June, a new law passed in the city of Fresno, California, will force a massive reduction in the number of smoke shops[/caption] Read More Details
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