Baltimore mayor signs 'padlock' law letting police seek to close smoke shops over illegal cannabis sales

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott signed a bill into law on Oct. 15 that authorizes city police to shut down smoke shops that repeatedly sell unlicensed cannabis or controlled dangerous substances, CBS Baltimore and WBAL-TV reported. The City Council approved the measure last month, according to both outlets.

Under the law, the Baltimore Police Department can seek an abatement order from the Office of Administrative Hearings against any business that receives two citations for illegally selling cannabis or a controlled dangerous substance, CBS Baltimore reported. After an administrative hearing, the office can issue a proposed abatement order that could include padlocking the business as a nuisance, and police would then have 15 days to abate the nuisance. WBAL reported that shop owners would first get a warning and that shops that keep selling illegal marijuana products could be closed for up to a year.

"To be clear, Baltimore is home to legal, regulated cannabis sales," Scott told reporters before signing the law, according to CBS Baltimore. WBAL quoted him as saying, "This bill is not about businesses that are following the law. This is about addressing those that are breaking the law and is based on experience and study."

City Council President Zeke Cohen said, "We have seen far too often young people walking, unabated, into smoke shops, buying products, and then getting sick off of what they buy," CBS Baltimore reported.

City officials said about 1,400 smoke shops in Baltimore are licensed by the state to sell tobacco, according to CBS Baltimore. The outlet also reported that Scott previously signed a measure requiring smoke shops to be at least 750 feet from schools, parks and recreation centers.