Albuquerque City Councilor Renée Grout said she want smoke shops father apart, including a proposed 1,3200-foot buffer between shops. This is because she wanted to have smoke shops same standards similar to cannabis dispensaries before more open across the city.
Jose Vialpando, owner of Chronic Kings on Lomas said he used to run part of the business as a smoke shop says the updated ordinance would mean less competition near his dispensary.
“I don’t really like it. I would like some distance, you know. It’s kind of clutter full of dispensaries. It’s good for the customer, maybe they have options, so it’s not totally bad,” he said.
He said he love to help the medical people out as well as the recreational people out. He also pointed out the issue is smoke shops clustering in one area, not the cannabis dispensaries themselves.
Meanwhile, Grout clarified the issue is smoke shops clustering in one area, not cannabis dispensaries themselves.
“They need to be away from cannabis, and smoke shops need to be at least 1,320 feet from another smoke shop,” said Grout.
Grout said the proposal will add more restrictions on where smoke shops can operate.
What Is In The Proposal?
In the proposal, the smoke shops have to be at least 350 feet away from a school or a daycare. Nicotine products and paraphernalia shouldn’t be displayed within five feet of a window or a door. They can’t have a dive-through, and they can’t be in main street corridors.
“They also need to be at least 350 feet away from a school or a daycare. Nicotine products and paraphernalia shouldn’t be displayed within five feet of a window or a door. They can’t have a drive-through, and just like we made some changes to the IDO in the spring with this, we kind of, we left this one out, we needed to put in smoke shops, they can’t be in the main street corridors,” she said.
Grout clarified Central and San Pedro are included in the new proposed ordinance.
Vialpando sees this as a good opportunity to open a business but also worries that they might end up hurting each other because they’re all opening by each other.
“I just think it’s just a good business for them to open. I guess it’s good, profitable business for them to open. So everybody’s trying it, but they’re also hurting each other, because they’re all opening by each other,” said Vialpando.
The Land Use Planning and Zoning Committee will hear the proposed changes on Wednesday and by next Monday, the proposal could reach the City Council agenda.
The initiative is good as it can prevent students from buying from smoke shops, creating a better environment for students. However, it also has its downside on businesses since their earnings would decrease or become stagnant.