SHOP IN MODESTO IS GOING TO NEED SOME OTHER PLANS. LAST NIGHT, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED A BAN ON THEM. MELANIE WINGO JOINS US LIVE FROM MODESTO WITH MORE ON THIS GOOD MORNING. GOOD MORNING. YEAH, THIS WAS WHAT WAS CONSIDERED AN URGENCY ORDINANCE. AND BECAUSE IT PASSED, IT MAKES IT SO SMOKE SHOPS JUST LIKE THIS ONE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ALLOWED TO RELOCATE OR EXPAND. AND SIMILAR BUSINESSES WON’T BE ALLOWED TO SET UP SHOP AT LEAST FOR THE TIME BEING. THE MODESTO CITY COUNCIL VOTED UNANIMOUSLY LAST NIGHT TO PASS A MORATORIUM ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW AND RELOCATION OR PHYSICAL EXPANSION OF EXISTING TOBACCO RETAILER BUSINESSES, ALSO KNOWN AS SMOKE SHOPS, WITHIN THE CITY OF MODESTO AND THE CITY’S POLICE CHIEF SPOKE IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL LAST NIGHT, EXPRESSING WHY HE FEELS AN ORDINANCE LIKE THIS IS NEEDED OVER THE PAST YEAR, WE’VE SEEN AN INCREASE IN COMPLAINTS REGARDING UNAUTHORIZED TOBACCO AND CANNABIS PRODUCTS BEING SOLD AT OUR LOCAL SMOKE SHOPS. THE TAR, WHICH IS THE TARGETING OFTEN THE TARGETING OF MINORS WITH THESE PRODUCTS. AND THE ORDINANCE THAT PASSED IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. REPORTING LIVE IN MODESTO MELANIE WING
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Modesto cracks down on smoke shops, prevents new ones from starting up
Law enforcement and public health advocates applaud city council's passage of 'urgency ordinance' that take aim against tobacco retail businesses
Reporter
Tobacco retail businesses, otherwise known as “smoke shops,” will not be allowed to relocate or expand within the city of Modesto, and similar businesses won’t be allowed to set up shop, at least for the time being.The Modesto City Council voted unanimously Tuesday on an urgency ordinance that places a moratorium on the establishment of new/relocation or physical expansion of existing smoke shops in the city."Public safety is our top priority, making sure that we have a city that our kids can be safe in," said City Council Member Chris Ricci Wednesday. "Having retail outlets that are selling drugs, it's kind of a no brainer to try to outlaw them."Modesto’s police chief Brandon Gillespie explained to the mayor and council that, based on information collected through enforcement operations, he feels an ordinance like this is needed.“When we look at the justification for the moratorium that we’re asking for today, it’s clear," he said. "There’s an immediate need to address the public's health and safety of our community."Gillespie also outlined how the smoke shop moratorium is aimed at protecting the community’s youth from the products the shops sell.“Over the past year we’ve seen an increase of complaints regarding unauthorized tobacco and cannabis products being sold at local smoke shops, which is often the targeting of minors,” said Gillespie.The new smoke shop ordinance is effective immediately.California Association of Retail Tobacconists supports the temporary ban. “The California Association of Retail Tobacconist, Inc. stands by the decision of the Modesto City Council to put a pause on new tobacco shops in Modesto. Our members deplore retailers who are not in compliance with State and Local laws governing the sale of tobacco products. We hope once the current problems discovered in Modesto are resolved the Modesto City Council will once again allow legal businesses to operate and sell legal tobacco products to the consumers of Modesto," Charles J. Janigian, president of the organization said in a written statement to KCRA 3.Modesto Police Capt. Chris Adams said concern about tobacco shops in the city has grown in recent months, prompting investigators to go in and identify issues firsthand."We were seeing cannabis sales. We saw illegal gambling machines, cannabis-infused products directly marketed towards kids," Adams said. "We do have an issue here and that's something we need to work on."Adams said the moratorium stops the problem from growing while city leaders work on a new city ordinance that, if passed, would strengthen restrictions on illegal activity within smoke shops."When you have nefarious things happening, such as illegal gambling, marijuana sales. We found psilocybin mushrooms at some of them. That's drawing the criminal element into a store and that can bleed into a lot of different things when it comes to criminality," he said. "If people feel that they can just openly sell these illegal products and get away with it with no repercussions that just draws in the criminal element that we don't want to see in our local businesses."See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
MODESTO, Calif. —
Tobacco retail businesses, otherwise known as “smoke shops,” will not be allowed to relocate or expand within the city of Modesto, and similar businesses won’t be allowed to set up shop, at least for the time being.
The Modesto City Council voted unanimously Tuesday on an urgency ordinance that places a moratorium on the establishment of new/relocation or physical expansion of existing smoke shops in the city.
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"Public safety is our top priority, making sure that we have a city that our kids can be safe in," said City Council Member Chris Ricci Wednesday. "Having retail outlets that are selling drugs, it's kind of a no brainer to try to outlaw them."
Modesto’s police chief Brandon Gillespie explained to the mayor and council that, based on information collected through enforcement operations, he feels an ordinance like this is needed.
“When we look at the justification for the moratorium that we’re asking for today, it’s clear," he said. "There’s an immediate need to address the public's health and safety of our community."
Gillespie also outlined how the smoke shop moratorium is aimed at protecting the community’s youth from the products the shops sell.
“Over the past year we’ve seen an increase of complaints regarding unauthorized tobacco and cannabis products being sold at local smoke shops, which is often the targeting of minors,” said Gillespie.
The new smoke shop ordinance is effective immediately.
California Association of Retail Tobacconists supports the temporary ban.
“The California Association of Retail Tobacconist, Inc. stands by the decision of the Modesto City Council to put a pause on new tobacco shops in Modesto. Our members deplore retailers who are not in compliance with State and Local laws governing the sale of tobacco products. We hope once the current problems discovered in Modesto are resolved the Modesto City Council will once again allow legal businesses to operate and sell legal tobacco products to the consumers of Modesto," Charles J. Janigian, president of the organization said in a written statement to KCRA 3.
Modesto Police Capt. Chris Adams said concern about tobacco shops in the city has grown in recent months, prompting investigators to go in and identify issues firsthand.
"We were seeing cannabis sales. We saw illegal gambling machines, cannabis-infused products directly marketed towards kids," Adams said. "We do have an issue here and that's something we need to work on."
Adams said the moratorium stops the problem from growing while city leaders work on a new city ordinance that, if passed, would strengthen restrictions on illegal activity within smoke shops.
"When you have nefarious things happening, such as illegal gambling, marijuana sales. We found psilocybin mushrooms at some of them. That's drawing the criminal element into a store and that can bleed into a lot of different things when it comes to criminality," he said. "If people feel that they can just openly sell these illegal products and get away with it with no repercussions that just draws in the criminal element that we don't want to see in our local businesses."
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter
