[420 Girl]

Petaluma - When the Volcano Smoke Shop opened two months ago, it formed a sort of “Tobacco Triangle,” since it is located within one block of two other downtown “head shops.”

It joined The Mighty Quinn on Western Avenue, which calls itself a “Specialty Snuff & Tobacco Store” and Off Limits in Helen Putnam Plaza, a self-described “Smoke & Sensuality Shoppe.”

“I'm troubled by the number of smoke/head shops within walking distance of our quaint little downtown,” wrote PetalumaMamma. She des-cribed herself as the “parent of a teen, tween and little kid.”

“It's a bit much,” agreed a poster named Tahoe.

They weren't alone. Marie McCusker of the Downtown Business Association concedes that there's been “an outcry from parents and businesses.”

But she says her hands — and her organization's hands — are tied. “We'd rather promote Petaluma as a family-friendly town by encouraging landlords to work with us as a business organization. But unfortunately, it's a sign of our current economy. Landlords want to rent out their spaces,” she said.

“We don't have a zoning ordinance that prohibits the type of businesses that can open. As long as they're legal and have permits, we have no control over them,” McCusker noted.

According to Petaluma Police Sgt. Jim Stephenson, “We all know marijuana is a big thing, but the reality is that so-called ‘drug paraphernalia' — pipes, bongs, vaporizers, etc. — are perfectly legal as they can be used for tobacco. And sometimes they are.”

http://www.420magazine.com/forums/in...moke-shop.html