The Shreveport City Council on Tuesday adopted an ordinance creating a new chapter of the city code to regulate vapor product retailers and shops and to restrict access to minors.

The ordinance, identified in the meeting as the chapter 11 vapor‑retailer measure, passed unanimously with a 7‑0 vote after an amendment setting phased effective dates. The amendment delays the sections establishing permitting, location and employee requirements until Jan. 2, 2026, to give the Shreveport Police Department time to establish the permitting process; sections on hours of operation and prohibiting underage persons on premises are effective upon council approval.

Council members said they supported immediate action while planning further changes to address compliance across retail types. "I just think if we start here, that we could work toward whatever we need to, to balance it out," Councilman Green said during the debate. Councilman Jackson added, "I'm fine with moving forward long as we are working on this pretty quickly."

City Attorney Edwards described how the ordinance distinguishes retailers by the share of revenue from vape products. "It is designed to be more stringent on those who sell more than 25% of their revenue," Edwards said, describing the measure's intent to focus regulation on specialty vape shops rather than every business that happens to sell a few vape items.

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne, called to the podium during discussion, told the council that investigations and undercover operations had found illegal substances being sold at some shops and stressed a need for local regulatory tools. "We found illegal drugs in them," the chief said of two locations targeted by an operation, and he noted that a recent victim was 16 years old. He described unregulated, imported products that concerned law enforcement and families.

Council members discussed enforcement mechanics and potential loopholes if owners shift sales into convenience stores or alter reporting. "My concern is the same people that own the vape shop on North Market are gonna find a convenience store down the street, open it up, and start selling," one council member said, urging follow‑up amendments addressing shelf space, manifests or other ways to prevent circumvention.

The ordinance includes these principal provisions as described in council discussion and the amendment:
- A permitting regime and location, employee and permit‑related requirements (effective Jan. 2, 2026) to allow the police department time to create the permitting process.
- Restrictions on hours of operation and a prohibition on underage persons on the premises (effective upon council approval).
- A revenue threshold to trigger stricter requirements: retailers deriving more than roughly 25% of sales from vape products fall under more stringent controls.
- Enforcement and monitoring to rely in part on sales‑and‑use tax records and police inspections.

Council members asked staff for additional information after the meeting, including a dollar breakdown of sales (not just percentages) for affected businesses so they could assess relative impacts. The council also directed that subsequent amendments be drafted quickly to close potential loopholes and to extend comparable operating restrictions to other retailers as needed.

The ordinance passed 7‑0 after the amendment on timing was adopted. Several council members emphasized they view the measure as a first step and said they expect follow‑up ordinances or administrative rules to address enforcement gaps and to hold repeat violators accountable.