NYC Mayor Eric Adams Oversees Burning of Four Tons of Marijuana, Assures Everyone Nearby They Won’t Get High

In yet another week of politicians focusing on everything but improving our lives, New York City mayor Eric Adams is back with more antics.

On Wednesday, August 28, the mayor hosted a cartoonish display where he and members of the NYPD oversaw the burning of four tons of marijuana products deemed "illegal."

These cannabis products, ranging from edibles to flower, were seized from around 1,000 unlicensed stores that had been shut down across the city.

"We're going to destroy four tons of cannabis," Adams announced. "We have to stay on top of this because there are so many people who like to participate in this illegal endeavor. ... We're going to destroy illegal cannabis in this city. It's not going to go in our neighborhoods."

Instead of addressing pressing issues like lack of affordable housing, the rising death toll at Rikers Island, or other daily challenges New Yorkers face, Adams chose to criticize the colorful packaging of some cannabis products, claiming it makes them appealing to children.

"We are excited to burn this illegal product here today," he added, which might be ironically funny if we didn't live in a world where people are still incarcerated for marijuana offenses.

Reworld, the waste company assisting with the destruction, was represented by its president, Adel Omrani, who delivered a speech before the products were lifted into an incinerator. During the event, a reporter asked if the fumes from the burning would "waft out into the community," potentially giving nearby residents an unexpected high.

"No one would be getting high off of what we're burning today," Adams claimed. Bobby Green, who runs the facility housing the incinerator, explained that a filtration system would "scrub all those fumes," leaving "about 99.9 percent water vapor."

Earlier this year, Adams launched "Operation Padlock to Protect" to crack down on unlicensed marijuana shops in NYC, where recreational and medical marijuana is now legal. His main concern, he said, was preventing easy access to the drug for children not yet old enough to purchase it legally.

Instead of pushing forward a contemporary "War on Drugs," perhaps young New Yorkers would be better off with investments in education, public parks, libraries, housing, and other resources, rather than spending billions on police who have nothing better to do than burn weed.