The Baltimore City Council is looking into the proliferation of smoke shops around the city after a recent report showed high concentrations of the stores and that some were selling unauthorized or illegal products.

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 has lawmakers like Baltimore City Council president Zeke Cohen, Councilmember Tony Glover and community stakeholders concerned about the impact on neighborhoods.

Some stores have been reported selling illegal drugs, unregulated marijuana and tobacco products and selling to underage children.

The Baltimore City Health Department (BCHD) partially regulates the shops by making annual educational visits to the stores and conducting at least one compliance check per year.

However, the report found “there are reportedly no BCHD employees who do this work full-time” and that the department “set a target of conducting compliance checks for unlawful distribution of tobacco at 1,000 tobacco retailers but completed only 149 checks” in 2024.

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.