Montclair Township Council gives head shops thumbs down and wishes to regulate “Vape Shops” (The Montclair Times, Nicholas Katzban)
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According to The Montclair Times on November 20, 2015 Caryn Bregman a Montclair resident who operates a physical therapy practice above a “Vape shop” complained to the Township Council that Artisan Vapor, a shop which sells e-cigarettes and similar devices that replicate the act of smoking, has since taken the form of a “vape bar” allowing customers to use their products on site.
Bregman relayed that within the last eight months, she had witnessed vaping incessantly no less than 25 times and that clients have complained . She also expressed that although she had been in contact with the municipal Department of Health and Human Services, and that a citation was issued against the vapery “a couple of weeks ago.”, the vaping has not ceased.
Following Bregman’s complaints, The council turned its attention to a pending ordinance that both amends the definition of a “head shop,” and subsequently prohibits such businesses from areas zoned “Neighborhood Commercial.” 4th Ward Council-member Renée Baskerville asked, “Based on what we’re learning this evening, is there an opportunity to further amend this to include vaping?”
Deputy Mayor Bob Russo supported Baskerville’s idea, and asked Town attorney, Karasick whether it could be simple enough to add only the word “vaping” to a list delineated in the new definition of a head shop. Thus, the ordinance could state: “…appliance designed for or ordinarily used in smoking, vaping, testing, weighing… marijuana, cocaine, opium, hashish…”
Russo and Baskerville requested that Karasick follow up with the council on his findings.