By Charles Owens, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
PRINCETON — A member of the Mercer County Commission is hoping to follow Raleigh County’s lead on regulating vape shops.
Mercer County Commissioner Greg Puckett said he is working with Prosecuting Attorney Brian Cochran to draft an ordinance that mirrors a plan adopted earlier this week by the Raleigh County Commission. That ordinance prohibits vape shops from operating in residential districts and enforces conditional use permits for those located in businesses and industrial areas.
Under the Raleigh County ordinance, any new vape shop that opens must be located at least a mile away from other vape shops, public or private schools and daycare facilities, and must not display images of psychedelics, marijuana or paraphernalia.
“It’s not saying we aren’t going to allow vape shops to come into the county,” Puckett said of Mercer. “We are just saying it isn’t going to be near a park, or where kids gather. And are just setting perimeters on where it will be.”
Because Mercer County does not have a zoning ordinance, it won’t be able to adopt a vape shop ordinance the same way that neighboring Raleigh and Fayette counties did, according to Puckett.
