Pubdate: Fri, 7 Nov 2008
Source: Press Democrat, The (Santa Rosa, CA)
Copyright: 2008 The Press Democrat
Contact:  http://www.pressdemo.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/348
Author: Clark Mason
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?228 (Paraphernalia)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?115 (Marijuana - California)

WINDSOR SMOKE SHOP'S FOES ELATED BY CLOSURE

A controversial smoke shop in Windsor's Town Green Village that
provoked a public outcry has closed, much to the relief of those who
said it didn't belong in their family oriented community.

The operators of Smoke Shop, which offered bongs and water pipes for
sale in a prominent location on the Town Green, removed the last of
their merchandise and interior furnishings Wednesday afternoon, days
after their landlord evicted them.

Opponents of the shop were ecstatic.

"I was dancing my little mommy jig, my dance," said Sherry Phillips, a
Windsor mother and Girl Scout leader. "It's like 'Whoo hoo, the Smoke
Shop is leaving!' "

Phillips was one of scores of residents who contacted Town Hall in
early September to express their outrage over the Smoke Shop's opening.

The complaints centered on the prominent location of the business and
the fact that students pass by it on their way to and from nearby
Windsor High School.

The business displayed a sign stating no one under 18 could enter, but
the large hookahs and glass pipes associated with marijuana and other
drug use could be seen from the street.

"I don't say you can't have a smoke shop. Just don't [have it] in the
Town Green, which has been trying to be so family friendly," Phillips
said Thursday.

Tom Sutliff, the owner of the property, confirmed that he evicted the
Smoke Shop, formally known as the Windsor Tobacco Center. But he
declined further comment and would not specify why the business was
evicted. The closing of the business came days after it and a
convenience store in Windsor were cited for allegedly selling tobacco
to minors.

The citations were part of periodic undercover decoy operations
conducted by Windsor Police, according to Town Manager Matt Mullan.

Mullan said he did not know why the owners of the business decided to
close, but said "there was some relief. What started as a problem and
community outrage about it has gone away on its own." Basam Khouri,
the Jordanian-born owner of the Smoke Shop and spokesman for the
family that runs it, did not return phone calls Thursday from The
Press Democrat.

A man who answered Khouri's cell phone and who described himself as
his brother, spoke in broken English. "Maybe some people don't like
the Smoke Shop," he replied when asked why it had closed. Ronald
Boomer, owner of the dry cleaners across the street, said other
merchants were "glad to see them go. They didn't endear themselves to
anyone."

Khouri said in a previous interview that his family has five similar shops
in California: in Santa Rosa, Ukiah, Hollywood, Fillmore and Fullerton.

The business in Windsor had the trappings of a '60s-era headshop with
iconic posters of Bob Marley and Jim Morrison.

But Khouri maintained "everything is just for tobacco use." He said
how customers use the items "is not our problem," and added that
medical marijuana is legal and "we do something to try to help people
too."

Town officials had written a letter shortly after the business opened
pointing out to Khouri that state law requires drug paraphernalia be
kept in a separate room, or enclosure, where persons under 18 are excluded.

In reply, Kouri wrote, "We will not carry or sell any item that is
related to drug paraphernalia."

The controversy prompted members of the Town Council to discuss
implementing a business license system -- rather than the current
voluntary registration process -- that would give the town the needed
leverage to regulate smoke shops.

In the meantime, the Town Council has imposed a two-year moratorium on
any new smoke shop, along with check-cashing stores, pawn shops,
tattoo parlors and bail bonds businesses.

Officials said the intent is to avoid a "skid row" appearance that a
proliferation of those businesses can bring.

Windsor planners want to develop zoning conditions that keep the
businesses out of certain areas, or prohibit them entirely.

But some residents complained it was too sweeping and officials were
passing moral judgment on some of the businesses.

"The council needs to let Windsor find its own identity. If a business
doesn't mesh with the people who live in Windsor, it will fail,"
Pamela Pizzimenti, a Windsor mother of four children, said in a letter
to town officials. 
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