By Alexis Thweatt
The Baltimore County Council Monday adopted a measure that will require hookah lounges to shut their doors at 12 midnight rather the current 4 a.m. closing time.
The legislation that passed the council on a 7-0 vote was a compromise from the original bill, which would have required hookah lounges to close at 8 p.m. during the week and 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays – a move that lounge owners said would put them out of business.
“This move makes it fair to hookah businesses as a whole, and we hope this doesn’t destroy their business too much,” said District 3 Councilman Todd Huff.
Maurice “King” Sawalhi, who owns the Tobacco Center on East Joppa Road in Parkville, said he expects hookah lounges to suffer financially under the measure passed by the council.
He said that forcing his establishment to close two hours earlier will hurt business because hookah lounges are a popular choice for Towson University students on weekends after the bars close.
“As of right now, we thank the council, we know that it was a hard decision,” Sawalhi said. “The new bill will kill business, but we’ll be back in six months to try and come to a better compromise.”
Sawalhi and his friend Dennis Teegardin, a frequent customer at the Tobacco Center who has worked with the business’s owner, helped to negotiate changes to the pending legislation.
“We flooded the council’s phone lines, and even had customers come in to testify on our behalf,” Teegardin said. “We also personally met with all members of the council to help our case.”
The bill was introduced to the council on April 21 after residents who live near hookah lounges complained about public intoxication and theft that they said occurred outside some of the tobacco-smoking establishments.
Huff said that changes can be made to the bill if business owners can prove that they are being more responsible about running their business and if the community agrees that improvements have been made.
“Some people are running their business right and should be acknowledged for that,” Huff said. “But if we still have problems down the road, the amendment can be tightened up, making it worse for hookah lounges.”
District 7 Councilman John Olszewski Sr. agreed.
“We are sending a message to bad hookah lounges,” Olszewski said. “Sure, some businesses are already being run properly, but we have to respect the community’s wishes.”
The new requirements went into effect on May 18.
Correction: The hookah lounge legislation went into effect on May 18. A previous version of this story incorrectly reported that the law went into effect immediately after it was adopted by the County Council.
Update from Baltimore County Police:
Baltimore County Police continue to investigate two stabbing incidents that took place early Sunday morning outside the Towson Nights Hookah Lounge Cafe in downtown Towson. Meanwhile, a new law designed to reduce problems related to hookah lounges across the county took effect yesterday.
The law, introduced at the request of County Executive Kevin Kamenetz with the support of Police Chief Jim Johnson, requires hookah lounges to close at midnight.
County Executive Kamenetz and Chief Johnson believe the earlier closing time — some lounges have remained open as late as 4 a.m. — will reduce the number of nuisance and criminal complaints associated with hookah establishments.
“The unfortunate incident in Towson outside of a hookah lounge this weekend once again shows why the recent legislation limiting hours at hookah and vapor lounges that I introduced and that was passed by the County Council is so important,” Kamenetz said. “Beginning yesterday, these places of business must close no later than midnight. Should problematic behavior continue after the new law is implemented, I am fully prepared to go back to the Council and request that it reduce the hours even further.
“I’m not going to tolerate this behavior in downtown Towson or anywhere else.”