ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – For the first time in nearly two months, a South Fulton smoke shop on Campbellton Road is back open for business.
Shaizan Khoja manages the Air Freshener Depot #2, which had its license revoked by the city last month.
“It feels like we’re back home,” Khoja said. “We were closed for 50 days from today and it was really hard for us to pay the rent, the bills, utility, accounting fees. It was a huge amount, and we lost a lot of good revenue on it.”
He said they lost nearly $80,000 in revenue after South Fulton Police raided the business on May 1, 2024, and charged multiple employees for trafficking marijuana.
“We were not the manufacturer. We were buying our stuff from the wholesaler who are legally selling in Georgia,” Khoja said.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: South Fulton smoke shop raided, accused of selling illegal hemp products
Recently, the City of South Fulton held a hearing on the matter to discuss the evidence. City Attorney Vincent Hyman and an undercover police officer claimed that several products being sold at the store tested above the 0.3 THC legal limit.
“We don’t want to have a bad impact on anyone. We just want to carry and sell the legal product whatever it is and what the legal amount is to sell in Georgia,” Khoja said.
On Friday, a Fulton County judge held an independent hearing virtually and ruled that the business is allowed to temporarily operate until the South Fulton City Council renders a final decision about the license next month.
“We are happy to open for business for all the customers because I know from long-time customers who have been coming to the store, they were walking back because the store was closed for 50 days, and it was not a good impact for the neighborhood,” Khoja said.
Management told Atlanta News First they order all of their products from a wholesaler and check to make sure they are marked legal before they put items on the shelf.
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