Community members and business owners are split on a new Montgomery County Council bill that would restrict hours for hookah, tobacco and vape shops.
While several Silver Spring residents said the bill is necessary to ensure safety, hookah bar owners said their businesses are not the cause of crime.
The bill would require that hookah lounges, tobacco and vape shops close at the same time as other late-night establishments that service alcohol, which must close at 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends. There are currently no restrictions for businesses that serve tobacco.
Stephanie Helsing, CEO and president of the Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, said the proposed legislation will ensure safety in the community and protect downtown Silver Spring’s reputation.
“Our current approach is simply not working,” Helsing said. “The reality is we are still hearing from our businesses and property owners about the negative impacts of the late-night activity. Enough is enough for us.”
There has been an increase in calls for police between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m., which has led to additional police presence in the county’s central business district and an excess in overtime expenditures for county police, according to Councilmember Kate Stewart.
The proposed legislation builds off a council bill passed May 2023 following a rise in Silver Spring late-night crime requiring businesses that serve alcohol or tobacco to develop late-night safety plans.
The bill would also ensure a more equitable distribution of public safety resources and would limit employee’s exposure to harmful carcinogens, according to Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard.
But some hookah lounge owners said the legislation would negatively impact their business.
Ahmed Kamal, who owns a hookah lounge in downtown Silver Spring, said his business is an important aspect of his Ethiopian culture. He noted that county law restricts hookah lounges from selling alcohol, cannabis and other drugs.
“This is an act of targeted racism on minority business owners,” Kamal said. “It does not get you high, it does not get you drunk, It is a relaxing social event. It has nothing to do with the crime in Silver Spring.
Allan Ebert, who represented three hookah lounges at Tuesday’s public hearing, said that businesses are not denying that crime has risen, but said it’s impossible to pinpoint the cause of the increase to hookah lounges.
Ebert also said many hookah lounges in the area are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and need the late-night business to stay afloat.
“There have not been incidents of any violence or fights within the lounges themselves,” Ebert said. “We are struggling.”
Related:
New Bill Could Restrict Hours for Hookah Lounges, Tobacco Shops
