A six-month pause on new smoke shops is now in effect in Harlingen.

City commissioners approved the move during their meeting on Wednesday. During the pause, city leaders will look at regulations to potentially add to the business. 

Recently, a smoke shop submitted an application to open along the Dixieland Road corridor, but city commissioners denied the request.

The reason? A high school is located less than a mile away.

City leaders approved up to eight smoke shops to open last year. During Wednesday's city commission meeting, the city said the community started voicing concerns about the increase of those businesses.

The concerns are centered around the safety and security about those businesses, people also didn't want them selling to students.

"At the end of the day, we're trying to have school-age children from entering those businesses and consuming the products," Harlingen Planning and Zoning Director Ana Hernandez said.

The six-month moratorium will give the city time to study those concerns and determine whether stricter regulations are needed. Those regulations could limit where and how many smoke shops open and what products they sell.

Recommendations will then go before commissioners for final approval. The pause does not affect existing shops.

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