The Carroll City Council voted unanimously last night (Monday) to deny a device retail permit for A&M Trading Inc., doing business as Greenleaf Vape & Tobacco, over concerns the products will be used to smoke methamphetamine, marijuana, or other illegal substances. Carroll Police Chief Brad Burke says a law passed by the Iowa Legislature last year allows cities to deny permits to retailers selling “any equipment or product, made in whole or in part of glass or metal, that is designed for use in inhaling through combustion tobacco, hemp, other plant materials, or a controlled substance.”
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Burke adds that an officer entered the store last week and was able to purchase one of these devices before the store obtained a permit. A representative from A&M Trading Inc., Tammy King, says the company is trying to operate legally by approaching the council with its application for the Carroll location.
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King acknowledges that purchasers often do not use the devices in question as intended.
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The city can consider that perspective, but it can also deny the permit based on how the devices are used. Burke also cited previous examples of Greenleaf Vape & Tobacco’s noncompliance with the Iowa Code.
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While this is the first device retailer permit the city has considered, Burke says the recommendation to the council moving forward will be the same: denial. The council agreed with Burke’s assessment and voted 5-0 to deny the permit to A&M Trading Inc., which is registered to Ibrahim Aqel of Dubuque, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s online business entity summary.
