Baltimore County has lots of smoke shops. Its government wants fewer of them.

Residents, legislators and civic association leaders have long complained about Baltimore County’s many smoke and vape shops — their light-up-the-night signs, cartoon-themed pipes that appeal to minors, and late-night hours.

Proprietors, meanwhile, insist that they’re responsibly selling a product people want and have paid handsomely for the licenses to operate.

In early August, the Baltimore County Council will consider a bill to reduce the number of shops and restrict where they can go. The legislation would prohibit smoke shops from operating within 1,000 feet of schools, certain treatment facilities, recreation centers, parks and other smoke shops. It would also ban certain elements of shop signage.

Baltimore County has more smoke and vape shops than any other county in Maryland, said Republican David Marks, who in the past introduced bills to restrict smoking in county parks. Marks is co-sponsoring the current bill with Mike Ertel, a Towson Democrat who has fielded complaints from residents about smoke shops, vape shops and hookah lounges along York Road.

“We’re making sure there is not a proliferation within a certain area, that they are more attractive, and that they are not in places where children frequent,” Marks said. The number of vape and smoke shops is a topic at almost every community meeting, he said.

The legislation follows similar restrictions in Baltimore City as well as in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County, some of which restrict hours and locations. It also coincides with a state law passed in 2026 that narrows the kinds of products these shops can sell, and ramps up enforcement. That law, in turn, adds enforcement teeth to legislation passed in 2024.

Smoke shop owners said they had only recently learned of the legislation and would comply, but that the law was unfair.

“If there are two shops, how are they going to decide which one has to go away?” asked Abdul Numan, 31, who owns House of Vapes on Belair Road. “And who is willing to come up and give them their money back?”

He said many smoke shop owners are, like him, immigrants who “came from nothing” to build legitimate businesses. Numan, from Pakistan, worked as a cashier before taking over the vape shop from another owner and investing more than $150,000 to fix it up. He works seven days a week, prominently displays signs that he won’t sell to minors, and says he tries to minimize products that appeal to them.

Marks thinks these shops are proliferating in Baltimore County because of restrictions elsewhere.

Karson Kamenetz, the Democratic nominee for County Council representing the Liberty Road corridor on the west side of the county, said complaints about smoke and vape shops were a frequent refrain while he was campaigning.

“I heard over and over from residents that they want a greater mix of businesses — businesses that encourage people to spend time in the community,” he said. “When one business, like vape shops, becomes ubiquitous, it makes it hard for others to get a foothold.”

The Towson Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Baltimore Chamber of Commerce support the county’s efforts to curb the number of shops.

Not all business groups agree. David Spross, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, said the county’s proposed bill punishes responsible businesses as well as bad actors, and never explains why 1,000 feet is the correct distance from other shops or schools. Strong enforcement against scofflaws, not new zoning restrictions, remains the best approach to keep the public safe, he said.

“A responsible retailer doesn’t suddenly become less responsible because it’s 900 feet away instead of 1,100 feet away,” he said. “Compliance — not location — is what protects kids.”

The county legislation complements the state bill passed this year that would authorize the field enforcement division of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Commission to cite and fine shop owners who market “unauthorized consumable products” to minors. Those include tianeptine, which is used to treat anxiety, depression and opium addiction; kratom, a pain reliever and appetite suppressor; and phenibut, an anti-anxiety drug.

Del. Kim Ross, whose district overlaps with Marks’, co-sponsored the state legislation in Annapolis after noticing the large number of vape and smoke shops and their cartoon displays. She also learned that young people sometimes did not look at the package serving size and took too much, which can lead to hospitalization and even death, she said.

Vape and smoke shops proliferated after Maryland legalized marijuana in 2023. Baltimore City had 1,200 shops when the City Council approved regulations in June to restrict new shops from opening within 750 feet of schools, parks, recreation centers, or other smoke shops.

Ross, Marks and others have questioned why there are so many so close to each other. After all, residents don’t typically see several Starbucks and McDonald’s within a few feet of each other.

“It’s an easy business to get into, but they wouldn’t do it if the demand wasn’t there,” Ross said. “The question is, what is the demand for, exactly? It can’t be that all of the smokers in the area suddenly need those accessories.”

Shirley Supik, president of the Liberty Road Community Council, used to inspect vape and smoke shops for Baltimore County. An ex-smoker, she believes they’re actively trying to hook ever-younger customers.

“Everything I would see on the shelves is geared for young people,” she said. “Why would you have something on your shelf that tastes like bubble gum?”

At Bel Air Mart & Vape, owner Sanjok Karki, 30, stocks his cases with colorful monster water pipes, a Labubu doll bong, gummy bags adorned with mushrooms in bright colors, and “pink pussy” perfumes. There are also “boner bears” to “make your sex life sweeter,” in chocolate and honey.

“People come in here to feel good,” said Karki, who is from Nepal. He added that he’d invested about $150,000 in the shop, which opened last year, and would “lose all my money” if forced to close because another shop is across the street.

Mindful of vape shop criticism, Karki said he’s trying to be a community asset. He added groceries and snacks, offers pickup and drop-off of Amazon deliveries, and has a U-Haul for hire. He said vaping cartridges account for about 50% of his business, with groceries and snacks making up most of the rest. “We don’t sell a lot” of the Labubu bongs, he said.

Marks acknowledged that enforcement of which businesses will have to close will be tricky; the city bill only covered new shops and did not force existing ones to close. Numan and Karki are hoping the county bill will follow suit. At Tuesday’s work session, the council members briefly discussed exempting existing businesses from the new rules.

If not, Numan said, he may take a page from his down-the-street competitor and add a grocery aisle.

“That seems to be the new model for smoke shops,” he said. “Nobody can close down a grocery store, I guess.”