Out of concerns that smoke shops in Ceres are selling illegal cannabis products and also selling tobacco to minors, the Ceres City Council last week adopted tighter restrictions for their operations.

Each smoke shop must submit a security plan on sale of age restricted materials.

New security measures such reduced hours of operation, security guards, door monitors, burglar alarms may be required if harm, nuisance, or related problems are demonstrated to occur as a result of their business practices, said Ceres Police Chief Trenton Johnson.

Shops will also be required to have video surveillance of all entrances, exits and points of sale.

“The video systems must have the capability for the police department to have real-time access so that when we have a real time crime center, they can integrate into that center,” said Johnson.

Johnson shied away from a request to limit the number of smoke shops, saying the section’s restriction that smoke shops cannot be within 1,000 feet of a public and private school, park or recreation center, or another smoke shop “pretty much limits the amount of smoke shops that we can have.”

Zoning laws do not allow smoke shops in a residential zone.

“From what I saw, just doing my own research, that we are pretty much maxed out with this ordinance passing, we can’t add any more smoke shops.”

Mike Warda spoke and said the ordinance doesn’t really tackle shops illegally selling THC products.

“We’re trying to treat them like they’re a good business that just needs a little bit of regulation when, in fact, they’re criminals,” said Warda. “I can say that because I’ve been involved in having private investigators go to every smoke shop in Ceres virtually, and purchase product that gets you high. And these smoke shops don’t have this product tested, and they don’t pay any of the taxes that that your legal dispensaries pay in California.”

He said in some cases receipts show that some shops aren’t even charging customers sales tax.

Warda said some shops have “gotten smarter – they sell it out of their backpacks.”

He called for live security and a provision that states if a shop is caught selling illegal products, their license will be revoked, which is great.

Warda also suggested that district attorneys aren’t prosecuting cases.

“Five years ago, there were no smoke shops. Six years ago, there were no smoke shops. We didn’t see them. Now our kids are subjected to them on every corner. Ceres is actually lucky. I think Ceres has, I heard the number is seven or eight, but I think it’s a little bit more than that. Modesto, which is very close, has 60 smoke shops. They’ve got eight licensed dispensaries and 60 smoke shops.

Earlier this year, three smoke shops in Ceres were caught illegally selling hemp products in a compliance visits paid to them by Ceres Police and the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA). Additionally, one smoke shop was found to be in possession of and selling brass knuckles, a criminal violation under state law. The illegal items were confiscated, and a criminal complaint was submitted to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office against the business owner.

David Cisneros of the California Health Collaborative and Ceres resident said ordinances like the one Ceres is passing have been passed in 200 other cities “and have been shown to work, especially in limiting youth exposure to these products, which is one of the main things that I care about when I talk about this.”

He said that in 2024, the CHC took kids who were under the age of 21 to go out and try to purchase these products and said “a lot of the times it was surprisingly easy to go and buy the product itself, and we would walk out without any issues. Nobody would even bat an eye.”

He said Woodland showed their youth sales rate drop from 32% to 8% after passing a similar law.

Cisneros claimed that a survey his group conducted in Ceres showed 71 percent believe the tighter restrictions are a good idea.

Ava Alvarado, a senior at Central Valley high school and a member of the Protecting Health and Slamming Tobacco (PHAST) Youth Coalition, said she’s seen her classmates smoking or vaping and are addicted and often do it openly. She likes the new restrictions.

A woman who identified herself as Katie, disagreed with Warda and said the ordinance will definitely help the city crackdown on shops which break the law.

“I think the ordinance as written is very strong and will be able to enforce against any illegal actors in the city,” she said.

The council voted 3-1 to adopt the ordinance changes with Councilman James Casey voting no because he feels security guards and product lists should be required. 

Councilwoman Cerina Otero was absent.