Letter to the Editor:
A poll of Burbank residents conducted this month has revealed that a majority of Burbankers do not want pot shops in our city.
A search online will reveal to you that the pot industry has not been the windfall of tax money that cities hoped for.
A John Burroughs High School alumnus stated he consumed an edible during school that was given to him and he had such a bad reaction, he had to be rushed to the ER. The THC in cannabis is as high as 30% due to genetic tampering and modification.
Pot is no longer the natural product of decades past. It is a highly-engineered drug designed to get the user as high as possible.
It’s time to rise up and speak out against this drug.
The City Council is considering the possibility of allowing pot shops in Burbank.
People flock to Burbank to escape the nastiness of other cities.
Keep the nasty things out. Stop pot now and support a drug-free community.
Cancer patients and people in pain can source their pot, if desired, elsewhere and we cannot let emotions hurt our future.
Addicts are very persuasive. Focus on what you know and ignore the nonsense. You know this is bad for us and it’s time to speak up against it.
Fight to maintain our community standards. Don’t move to Texas. Stand and fight for your community.
Let your voice be heard and print and complete this petition so that we can stop this nonsense from ever happening:
May the Force be with you.
Regards,
Christopher Matthew Spencer
Resident since 1991 and here to stay
I really liked the article about no Pot shops in Burbank. I work in Real estate lending and the amount of fraud and criminal activity surrounding the dispensaries is amazing. The chaos is beyond imagination and the proposed tax income is minor with big expenses tied to it. Who really needs the smell of skunkweed in Burbank?
I agree with Mr. Spencer. I do not want pot shops in Burbank. The BUSD has a big problem with vaping and all the vape shops in Burbank already. I want to make it harder for our kids to get caught up in these problems, not easier. We have a certain character and charm in our city I do not want to lose. Whats next, strip clubs? Pawn shops? Tattoo parlors? I have noticed in other city’s even with extensive video recording and an armed guard on the premise the shops still get robbed and people are killed. This is the WRONG element for us. One of the newly elected councilman, Mr. Anthony has stated this is the direction he wants to take us…into the gutter.
Yes I totally agree. Bringing pot shops to Burbank will ruin this beautiful city. Just look at other cities that have them, it has increased homelessness, crime, theft and burglaries, increased addiction, more normalizations to our kids which increases the youth’s use of drugs. Look at Colorado, the people in fact wished they had never voted to legalize recreational pot as the cost way outweighs the money it was supposed to bring them with increased ER visits, police, paramedics, homelessness and more addicted youth. And in fact it has increased black market. Nothing promised about it has materialized. We can learn from all of this. The council should at least wait a few more years until more results are in.
Right on! My sentiments exactly.
What problem are we tring to solve? Persons in need for pain reduction can access the product very near by. They can even access it on line and have the product delivered. Why create new problems for the City of Burbank? An increased budget will be needed to cover costs for police, ER, paramedics, etc; more dispensaries has the inevitable result of increased rates of addiction as the THC in cannabis is excessive due to genetic modification. We do not need these two unnecessary detrimental problems. Let the City of Burbank council know you do not want pot shops in Burbank. A concerned citizen.
Thank you for this article. I couldn’t agree more. I don’t want any more access to drugs in the city. Burbank has such a nice, family oriented feel to it and I’d love it to stay that way. It makes the city special – let’s keep the ban, please! There is plenty of access to it in other cities in the vicinity.
Stop being stupid. Marijuana is about 1000 times more beneficial for you and healthy than alcohol and cigarettes Funny how we actually have proof that alcohol and cigarettes can kill you and cause cancer but those are still sold readily to alcoholics and people addicted to cigarettes Why don’t we get rid of some of the Third World looking up liquor stores in our town Why don’t we stop selling cigarettes that would actually benefit people Have you ever even been in a modern dispensary They are beautiful and all the employees are very smart Everyone smokes pot now it has nothing to do with being the wrong element I’d rather have a pot smoker next-door to me than a drunk Have you seen what drunks do? And saying they’ll be more theft is stupid also It wouldn’t be any different than the jewelry stores or liquor stores we have now Before giving an opinion why don’t you try educating yourself
***remember neighbors*** once pot shops are approved, we are never going back. Just Google the horrible outcomes with this horrible business. 30% THC is the norm. That’s 10x higher than 30 years ago. This is not a natural product at all. Just read how Andy Anderson brags about the industry’s genetic engineering: https://weedmaps.com/news/2019/10/10-high-thc-strains-you-should-know-about/
Replying to “Yolanda” and encourage “Yolanda” to put up her full name. Ad hominem attacks are a common tool used by the straw people lobbyists put online to post like this. Real Burbankers do care and you’ll start to notice that the “Yolanda”s of these comment posts are very often not who they claim to be.
Let’s look at “Yolanda”‘s comments:
“Stop being stupid.”
This is a very common method used by lobbyists. They seek to discredit and shame people who speak up in order to silence them.
“Marijuana is about 1000 times more beneficial for you and healthy than alcohol and cigarettes.”
Another very common tool used by lobbyists for the pot industry. Neither alcohol or cigarettes is a Schedule I drug. But that said, the medical evidence demonstrates that the high THC is a problem. Everyone I know who smokes or drinks would like to stop or cut down on their consumption. Before October 2010, I smoke three packs of Reds every day. It was a horrible addiction and I was guaranteed to die young. I quit and if you smoke anything, it’s time to quit too. Getting drunk is very bad for you and you should not do it!
See: “High-potency cannabis and the risk of psychosis” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2801827/ (not a blog, a medical study with real doctors behind it)
“Funny how we actually have proof that alcohol and cigarettes can kill you and cause cancer but those are still sold readily to alcoholics and people addicted to cigarettes Why don’t we get rid of some of the Third World looking up liquor stores in our town Why don’t we stop selling cigarettes that would actually benefit people
“Have you ever even been in a modern dispensary They are beautiful and all the employees are very smart Everyone smokes pot now it has nothing to do with being the wrong element”
Wrong. Everyone does not smoke pot now. Everyone working at a dispensary is not “very smart”. You’re running IQ tests? Let’s run a few.
That is another seemingly invincible fallacy that the pot lobbyists allege but a recent community survey shows that the majority of Burbankers do not want pot shops and therefore this statement is clearly false.
“I’d rather have a pot smoker next-door to me than a drunk Have you seen what drunks do? And saying they’ll be more theft is stupid also It wouldn’t be any different than the jewelry stores or liquor stores we have now”
What does pot have to do with drunks? “Yolanda” if you want to get rid of liquor stores and smoke shops, more power to you. I support your campaign and will sign that petition today. I am not a teetotaler but if you need us to rid the city of these businesses to make your lack of pot shops more palatable, I’m right beside you and will support you.
I would rather have no drunk or high people living near me. Thank you.
“Before giving an opinion why don’t you try educating yourself.”
I have. My brother was addicted to pot at 16 and drove the Fairfax Brewster K-6 school bus at 16. Think about that. By 25 he moved on to daily coke use and by 50 he neglected his oral health so badly he has no teeth and wears dentures. I am well aware and I have spent hundreds of hours reading medical reports, ER records, and court documents. I am well informed about the community cost of pot shops.
“Yolanda” if you want to live in a city with drug culture, please feel free. Those of us against pot shops (the majority of Burbankers) will wish you well and say goodbye to you.
Thank you Christopher, Cathy, Joel, Koko, Sandy and Saretta as I agree with all of you no Pot shops in Burbank. Let’s save the charm of Burbank that is why people choose to live here.
Joel Schlossman thank you for sharing this statement: One of the newly elected councilman, Mr. Anthony has stated this is the direction he wants to take us…into the gutter.
I think Burbank will become like a North Hollywood or LA if they open Pot Shops. I say YES – keep the ban!
There’s plenty of places to get it if you want it.
I love Burbank, let’s not add these.
I completely 100% agree with this article. Burbank is a city for family. There are many schools and children we need to take care of and protect. This is our future we are talking about and we do not need to put them at risk of addiction, car accidents, etc.
Please make the right choice in this. 🙂
This is absolutely needs to stop from happening in Burbank. Burbank is a family town and would be wonderful to keep that feel.
Yes this nails it on the head! I actually can’t believe it’s still being considered. If pot shops were approved it would be a huge detriment to the city. Thanks for writing this
Hi – common sense here
Burbank is a city for families – odd seeing as how the city employed convicted sex offenders like Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Tsujihara and hosts multiple movie lots that create a safe space for sexual predators. Where is that outrage?
Burbank will become NoHo if we allow weed in. What kind of scum bag statement is this? NoHo was a dumping ground for homeless by the blue pigs long before weed became legal in California. Fearing that Burbank will turn into NoHo just shows how gross and racist the citizens of Burbank are.
Wanna keep Burbank drug free? Kick every last Starbucks, CVS, Walgreens etc out. Opiates ruin more lives than…
…A plant that grows in the ground. Literally Burbank is filled with many uneducated racists who fear plants. Pathetic. Shame on all of you.
Justito, I do not understand what the two men you mention have to do with the subject at hand. The first man you mention is of course despicable and is now where he belongs. After doing research on the second man you mention, Kevin Tsujihara – perhaps you should also read about Charlotte Kirk and her history… in my conclusion, she had a plan and she followed it. Legal, but also despicable.
Now, let’s get back to the original problem – NO pot shops in Burbank.
“Fearing that Burbank will turn into NoHo just shows how gross and racist the citizens of Burbank are.”
This is straight out of the pot lobbyist playbook. They have the “racist” card and they pull it out.
Are you implying that a particular ethnic group prefers to smoke pot? Clearly the purpose of using the term “racist” is to shut people up. This has been used and used and used endlessly relating to pot shops.
Noooooooooooooooooooo, I just don’t want pot shops in Burbank. I am 50% East Indian (young people call me BIPOC). I’m American. Born here. First generation. “Race” is a social construct. I am American. Not Asian-American, not East-Indian American, none of those boxy labels. I am American. Proudly. Americans come from where we come from. Americans are patriots and support our First Amendment. But falsely calling someone “racists” for hating pot shops is un-American and an ad hominem attack.
Focus on the fact that the majority of Burbankers do not want pot shops. That is enough of a reason to keep them out.
The age of the addict is coming to an end. We must educate our young people to stay clear of this horrible industry. The addicts may not be saved, but we can prevent young people from getting lassoed into this and all other harmful drugs.
Burbank is a wonderful family community. The bringing of marijuana into the community would be a disaster for families. This opens the door to allowing criminality at our doorsteps. Look at the surrounding cities that allow weed into their neighborhoods… they are more run down, degraded and they have more crime. This can not happen in Burbank.
Totally agree. Marijuana shops in CA and other legal states is a huge disaster and totally horrible for our children. I look at my 6 month old son and I have horror thinking about what he will have to face. The people who want pot shops are long gone.
It’s inevitable. Cannabis and the commercialized use of it WILL be the norm in Burbank very soon. Not debate needed, it’s just the future of free commerce and the will of those who will be voting through out this country for the forceable future.
So I understand the anti “Pot Shop” argument correctly, Cannabis sales in Burbank = Bad
Cigarettes shops walking distance to high schools and bars in downtown = ok.
Got it.
Again, it’s an inevitability.
Wow “Steve”
“No debate needed…”
That’s curious.
The majority of Burbankers do not want pot shops. A community survey has proven this.
No it is not “an inevitability”
We will stop them.
Burbankers are uprising and these shops will be stopped.
“Burbankers are uprising and these shops will be stopped.”
Mr. Spencer, who are you to dictate to the residents of Burbank what shops can or can’t become part of its business landscape? Are you on the city council? Are you running for office? Do you own a business in Burbank?
You find it amazingly easy to dictate to those of us who need to use cannabis products for our own welfare where and how we can and should purchase these products.
Your ideas and proposals are astonishingly out-of-step with the current opinions of most people. You can’t stop progress and Burbank is on the cusp of doing the right thing for the city, which is in desperate need of tax revenue, and residents, who would welcome a cannabis dispensary within our city.
Most of your assumptions are wrong and can’t stand up to rational thinking.
If you are such a “Proud Burbank Resident”, why don’t you use your real name?
Oh wise “Proud Burbank Resident” (or are you a straw[wo]man for the pot industry?). You may call me CMS. I invite you to use your real name, it carries more veracity when you do.
Let’s go over your post together and I welcome and invite you to debate (with your real name, please?).
“Mr. Spencer, who are you to dictate to the residents of Burbank what shops can or can’t become part of its business landscape?”
Interesting word choice. “Dictate.” Americans hate dictators and I presume you know that so in order to attempt to discredit me, you use that word to make it seem like I am a “dictator.” Not going to work. I have a community survey and the First Amendment both on my side. The March 2021, community survey on commercial cannabis clearly shows that the majority of Burbankers do not want pot shops. I am all about consensus and I am all grown up now and use facts to support my position. Not only do I hate pot shops and the bad things pot shops do for communities, the majority of Burbankers agree with me. That’s the American way oh wise sage “Proud Burbank Resident.”
“Are you on the city council?”
Not at this time. The City Council represents the People and thank goodness a majority of the People agree with my position. A few loud voices have dominated this topic for years but our local residents are rising up and are no longer going to remain quiet on this subject after seeing how crappy other cities look after allowing high people to drive vehicles, serve as armed guards (yes I have a job applicant to admitted he is both an armed guard and pot user, that is scary), serve as medical professionals, the list goes on. Scary, scary stuff.
“Are you running for office?”
Not at this time oh wise sage. Should I? Am I doing less by speaking up? What you are doing is referred to as cancel culture. Trying to use unsupported statements and ad hominem attacks. You are entitled to your own opinions (which is all they are) but you are not entitled to your own facts. Google is everyone’s friend. Google this topic and oh boy look at all the ER visits, the mental health issues, the Surgeon General’s own warnings, it’s just amazing how much information is out there supporting this.
“Do you own a business in Burbank?”
Multiple. And multiple properties. I have owned a business here since 1989 and bought my first property here in 1991 and I have lived here 30 years with deep ties to Burbank. I am active in the community, I volunteer and I have raised $2.5 million to help our community’s low income and homeless residents many of whom struggle with addiction. Do your own homework and feel free to post your real name…
“You find it amazingly easy to dictate to those of us who need to use cannabis products for our own welfare where and how we can and should purchase these products.”
Again with the word “dictate.” A popular word used by the pot industry lobbyists who script special words to make it seem like the opposition are “dictators!” Jedi mind tricks don’t work on Burbankers. We are a smart group, which is why the few loud voices won’t win…we will keep pot shops out with a majority of voices, not the loudest few voices. Burbankers are rising up against bad ideas and drug addicts. If you are an addict, there is help. Call the SAMHSA hotline (800) 662-4357.
“Your ideas and proposals are astonishingly out-of-step with the current opinions of most people.”
No they are 100% on the mark. The majority of Burbankers agree that Burbank should maintain the ban on commercial cannabis. You have no facts to back up your opinion which is a formerly seemingly invincible fallacy but 100% wrong. The majority of Burbankers do not want pot shops. That is a fact. Not a proposal or an opinion.
“You can’t stop progress and Burbank is on the cusp of doing the right thing for the city, which is in desperate need of tax revenue, and residents, who would welcome a cannabis dispensary within our city.”
This is classic lobbyist scripting which leads me to believe you are indeed a pot lobbyist. The Cities that have allowed this horrible 30% THC frankenpot into their communities have not seen the windfall of tax revenue they expected. Far from it. Google is your friend. There are endless reports showing the tax revenues have fallen short and the black market pot has proliferated in cities with licensed pot shops. Not the wonderful elixir everyone expected.
Most of your assumptions are wrong and can’t stand up to rational thinking.
Google these headlines:
“California Is Failing Its Cannabis Industry, Big-Time”
“Marijuana tax windfall fails to materialize in California — Pot Tax 101 for Pennsylvania?
A thriving underground market, which sells unregulated weed without the burden of charging taxes, is one reason expectations have collapsed.”
And the pot shops apparently don’t like to pay their taxes:
“San Diego Sues to Collect Unpaid Cannabis Taxes” https://hightimes.com/news/san-diego-sues-collect-unpaid-cannabis-taxes/
To my fellow Burbankers, stay strong. Speak up loudly against this horrible frankenpot. It’s not the 3% THC pot of the 80’s. Not only does this pot stink, the THC levels have been genetically engineered to exceed 30%.
Speak up loudly and often against this horrible business. We need productive citizens not stoned Burbankers. Help your addicted family, friends and colleagues by offering to help find them treatment if they need it.
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