Published July 9, 2026 at 12:51 PM EDT

Baltimore County is considering cracking down on smoke shops, which sell tobacco, vapes and sometimes CBD products.

Baltimore County Council Chairman Mike Ertel and Councilman David Marks introduced legislation that will put more regulations on smoke shops.

The proposal would prohibit the stores from operating within one thousand feet of schools, certain treatment facilities, recreation areas, parks and other smoke shops.

It would also limit the types of lighting displays the stores can use in windows.

“Almost every single one of these smoke shops is like lit up like what you know, like an aircraft carrier that you're landing a plane on,” Ertel said. “It is imperative that we take steps to place guardrails and common-sense regulations on these businesses, just as we did with hookah and vapor lounges several years ago.”

Shops will have one year from enactment to meet the regulations.

The legislation follows the lead of Baltimore City, which put limits on where shops can operate and their lighting in June.

The city is also considering expanding its power to lockdown stores that are operating illegally or selling to minors.

Ertel told WYPR he’d be open to legislation that does the same.

There are more than 1,200 within the Baltimore city limits, putting the density at 15 shops per square mile.

“There were five times more tobacco retailers per square mile in the lowest-income neighborhoods in Baltimore City than in the highest-income neighborhoods,” the report states. “In December 2024, there were 231 tobacco retailers within 500 feet of a public school and 554 within 1,000 feet of a treatment center.”

The report also found that law enforcement does not have the proper jurisdiction to close down shops when they sell illegal vapes or unregulated cannabis.

“As such, these businesses often re-open immediately after being fined and/or having their product confiscated. Further, the owners of these businesses are often anonymous—they are not required to include their names on their business licenses—thereby impeding any efforts to build cases against the ultimate owners of stores engaged in illegal activities,” the report states.

Legislation would be required to change many of the issues.