No more hits
on a bong. No more toking on a joint. No more marijuana.
"click
on all pictures"
Here on this page you will find
most of the local New Jersey news stories that have been written about
the NJWEEDMAN. ('Freedom of the Press')
FORCHION Vs US PARK POLICE
have purposely created to challenge the current "marijuana laws" that don't allow for the RELIGIOUS USE.
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"LATEST"
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CLICK ON PICTURE |
IN
1857 The
State
officials constantly abuse NJWEEDMAN's
RIGHTS
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THE TRENTONIAN
"Weedman seeks state senate seat 1/23/2007 TRENTON – Ed “njweedman” Forchion, self appointed as “New Jersey’s most famous pothead”, is gearing up for another run at political office, and he’s holding a party in the city tomorrow to raise money for his campaign. And like everything he does, a party held by the WEEDMAN is sure to attract attention – though not always the kind he’s like. It’s going to be a peaceful gathering of potheads,” Forchion said of his upcoming fund-raiser. He’s running for State Senate, following last years bid for the U.S. Senate spot won by Bob Menendez. Forchion, who has seemingly run for just about every elected position in the state at one time or another, isn’t deluded enough to believe he’ll win. But he’s committed enough to his one issue – the legalization of marijuana – that he keeps running to stay in the public eye and to, um, spark debate. his latest campaign, Forchion has come up with a novel fundraising technique, something he’s calling a “4.20 Raffle”. Potential donors to his cause cough up at least $4.20, and they’re entered into the a drawing, where the winner receives an once of weed. His next drawing will take place tomorrow at Championship Sports Bar and Grill in Chambersburg, where he’s throwing a full-on bash to raise money for his cause. Flyers for the party ask: “Do you think marijuana should be legal?” and say: Come out of the Cannabis Closet and party with New Jersey’s most famous pothead.” Admission to the party is $20, which includes one entry into the raffle. Further tickets can also be purchased. He’s got a line up of entertainment in store including spoken word performances and comedy, along with a DJ and bands including one named Under Surveillance. Forchion is just hoping that the bands name doesn’t turn out to be prophetic, as he has already been warned that his party may be visited by undercover police officers or members of the state’s Alcoholic Beverage Control. “It’s not a smoke out,” he said. “It’s not a smoking party anyway. It’s a political party.” Though an admitted pot smoker, Forchion said he’s not going to have any on him at the party, and even the raffle winner’s prize won’t be given out at the bar. Forchion, a member of the Rastafarian religion, said it wouldn’t surprise him if his event is being targeted, and said he’s been singled out in the past. But he said he does feel thev treatment is unfair, adding that he’s just trying to promote his political platform. “Do the police all show up when a Democratic candidate or a Republican candidate has a fund-raiser?” Forchion asked rhetorically. But the Weedman said the possibility of a police presence isn’t getting him down. “It’s not going to change my mind,” he said. “Marijuana isn’t the evil drug the government says it is. It’s good. I’m not going to turn around and say it’s bad because the government say’s so.” |
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THE TRENTONIAN
WEEDMAN off to HOLLYWOOD
Heading for greener pastures NJweedman ready to bid farwell to N.J. By JOE D’AQUILA Staff Writer BROWNS MILLS — And like a puff of smoke, he’s
gone — gone to California that is.
He’s Ed Forchion, aka the NJ Weedman, and the much maligned, often controversial, repeatedly arrested activist and politician says New Jersey won’t have him to kick around any more. In an interview with The Trentonian from his home in Browns Mills, Forchion said he’s headed west to seek out greener pastures and to work for a company called High Ministries, a medical marijuana dispensary in Woodland Hills, Calif. For those unfamiliar with Forchion’s fortunes over the past few years — he’s run for numerous public offices in the state including a run for the governor’s seat in 2005, running under his own political party “The Legalization of Marijuana Party.” The party’s number one issue — well, you get it. Forchion is also a practicing rastafarian, a religion that views smoking marijuana as a sacrament. Once at his new gig, Forchion said he’ll be assigned to, what else, dispense marijuana. “I will be selling marijuana legally,” Forchion said. California has legalized the sale of medical marijuana, though the law has often been challenged in federal courts and federal agents can arrest those engaged in the buying, selling or possessing the drug there. But Forchion said that he’s not too concerned about the legal ramifications out west and said he wished his home state would have taken up his cause and changed its marijuana laws. “This is the example that Jersey politicians should take,” he said. The Weedman said he’s flying out today to start his new job and he’s bidding his old home good riddance. “I’m just tired of living in a police state,” he said of New Jersey. He said the company he’ll work for in California knew of him from his website, and said they weren’t worried about the controversy surrounding him, but rather saw it as a possible benefit to their operation. “That’s going to be a selling point with me at this place,” he said. He said his wife and kids are going to stay behind in Jersey for a while and if everything works out, they’ll probably all join him this summer. Forchion said that at least for the time being, he won’t be gone for good. He said he’ll have to come back for a pending court case in Trenton Municipal Court, stemming from an altercation with a state trooper at the State House last year. “I will have to come back a couple times for my kangaroo court,” he said. He said though that his new employer has helped set him up with an apartment to help ease his transition, and said he’ll be making a very nice living doing something he’s trained nearly his whole life for. “I’m going to be, basically, the marijuana guru,” he said. So for Forchion, who also said he hopes his move to Hollywood could start a new career in show business, it seems his life has come full circle. “What I’m doing is ironic,” he said. “Basically I became known and all this started because I got busted selling weed. Now I’m going to California and I’m going to do it legally.” |
| WATCH THIS VIDEO
NJWEEDMAN at work in LA Sellin Weed, legally! 'Someone tell the do-gooders
the world didn't end either'!
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On Feb. 22, 2006 Judge Morley "formally" took all my visitation and custody of my daughter. I was so mad I was fearing I would "kill him". This is the real reason I had to get away. Imagine having your child taken from you because you tell the truth about "marijuana". Here in America we have the RIGHt to freely speak, except apparently in Burlington Family Court. Judge Morley has committed a crime against me and my family but there is no-one I can turn too. NORML only helps white potheads, the NAACP hates me because I'm black/non-Christian and the U.S. Attorney here in New Jersey who is supposed to protect the RIGHTS of all citizens had me arrested. ( U.S. ATTORNEY CHRISTIE is a HYPOCRITE ) |
2005 NJWEEDMAN 4 GOVERNOR
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8/13/2005
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THE TRENTONIAN
TRENTON
-- The Weedman is going straight.
 That’s
right Robert Edward "Weedman" Forchion, 41, of Pemberton, says he has
quit smoking pot and is headed for the straight and narrow."I am Weedlessman now," Forchion said in a telephone interview yesterday. "And it doesn’t have anything to do with me changing my mind on the substance, but I got a job I really like now." Forchion says he has cut out his marijuana use since getting a job back in May. At first he quit to take a drug test for the job, but then he decided to just quit altogether. "It’s been more than two months since I smoked (pot), but I had slowed down before that," he said. Forchion explained his wife and children played a big role in his decision. "A lot of this has to do with my family," Forchion said. "Every time I get arrested my wife has to come bail me out. It’s been a lot on my family." Forchion, a Rastafarian by faith and a pro-marijuana legalization activist, was fired from a job about this time last year after, he says, his bosses mistakenly thought he took part in an anti-gay protest against former Gov. Jim McGreevey outside the State House, and became aware of his religious beliefs and political views. Those that adhere to the teachings of the Rastafarian religion believe that smoking marijuana is a sacrament similar to the Jewish and Christian use of wine. Although still very much a follower of the Rastafarian religion, Forchion now says he is concerned about keeping the job he has come to love with an understanding that arrests and other run-ins with the judicial system all take a financial toll. "I need to make money," Forchion said. "I’ve been poor for a long time." He says the turning point in his decision to quit smoking came after his arrest at the State House by New Jersey State troopers after he reportedly refused to leave the building when his request to go to Press Row was denied. Forchion was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and defiant trespass. He is now in the midst of a legal battle with the arresting State Police officer. A few weeks later, Forchion had another run-in with police officers at the Jersey Shore. He was distributing information on the boardwalk for his Legalize Marijuana Party. An officer told him to move because the boardwalk was not public property. Forchion said he disagreed, but moved to a nearby street corner but police were not satisfied and arrested him. Forchion has made frequent runs for public office in the past, and now has his sights set on another office. He wants to be governor of New Jersey and admits that cutting out the marijuana use will help his candidacy. "How can I campaign if every time I go out the police are coming after me," Forchion said. "I’m not going to take my name off the ballot, and I’m still going to give the finger to the system." Forchion says he will continue to push for his political views, but will also remain concerned about his own safety. "I know I’m right, but I don’t want to end up dead right," Forchion said. "I’m afraid one of these cops is going to shoot me, and then what? Oops. "Most police officers understand free speech, but there are a few who don’t. Those are the ones who worry me." Forchion’s run-ins with the law have made headlines over the years. In 1997, Forchion was arrested for possession of more than 40 pounds of pot. He served 17 months of a 10-year prison sentence and was released in April 2002. He was thrown back in jail four months later after he produced a pro-marijuana commercial but was released because a judge determined the commercial was protected by his First Amendment rights. In 2000, Forchion took his cause to the state’s General Assembly and made a point by lighting up a joint inside the Assembly Chamber as the legislative body was in session. He was never prosecuted. "I think I’m pretty much done with it," Forchion said. "I’m not going to give the police reason to arrest for no reason." -- Charles Webster is the State House reporter for The Trentonian. He can be reached at cwebster4@trentonian.com.
©The Trentonian 2005
_______________________________________________  ______________________________________________ FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO THINK MY BEING AFRAID OF BEING SHOT IS EXTREME READ THESE LINKS: (1) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1287/a06.html?105217 (2) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1139/a02.html?105217 (3) http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1262/a05.html?105219  |
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Dismissed - On August 9th, 2005
Forchion Vs
State of New Jersey, 0-322-05:Burlington County
Superior Court Judge Dismisses NJWEEDMAN lawsuit, say's State is
immune, incident was a unfortunate administrative error! - I spent 5
months in jail says WEEDMAN and the State refuses to even pay me for my
lost wages!
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This is the case no media outlet will take about, not even HOWARD STERN mentions this!
2005 NJWEEDMAN 4 GOVERNOR
Weedman
makes gubernatorial bid
BROWNS
MILLS - Local resident Edward Forchion, 40, of Browns Mills, or
NJWeedman.com as he likes to be called is taking his cause a step
further.
"NJWeedman.com 4 Governor" is
his latest message. According to NJWeedman.com, Forchion has one big
problem. "I
can't even campaign in public without being accosted by the police,,"
Forchion said in an interview Sunday"
With the arrest record to prove
it NJWeedman.com, or Edward Forchion as he is known in the system is no
stranger to the police. He said he has been arrested more than 30
times, mostly for protesting.
Recently he said he was not allowed on press row
in the State House for the simple reason that it was not open to
the public. Forchion states that he was given no written information
that press row was being closed to the public. His website,
NJWeedman.com, explains in detail this and other similar experiences he
has undergone.
The website covers his ongoing
mission extensively. The main reason Forchion is running for governor
is to send a message to those that will hear him. "I am not that high
that I think I am going to win. I just want to give the finger to the
system and rally others who feel the same way.," Forchion said.
His platform is that "Cannabis
smokers are the only segment of the population begging to be taxed. "We believe in taxation not
incarceration," Forchion said.
His proposed plan to tax
cannabis would help solve three big problems he foresees for NJ in the
next four years. Property taxes, a budget crisis, and a freedom crisis
which he thinks is approaching at an alarming rate are all major
concerns. "We are under the guise of fighting terrorism and drugs,"
Forchion said.
Forchion said he is qualified
to be governor because he has served the state. "I served in our
government's military and prison system. Now I want a leadership
position," Forchion said. Forchion said that the last several governors
of the state have not served well. "Christie Whitman was the worst,"
Forchion said.
Forchion said consolidating the
school districts in the state would lead to permanent property tax
relief for residents. "We don't need 180 (school) districts in New
Jersey," Forchion said. Forchion said legalizing marijuana would
produce a large tax for the state. "It would be in the billions,"
Forchion said. Forchion also said that limiting the terms of elected
officials to one or two, would end corruption, along with increasing
the size of the New Jersey attorney general's office. The website
NJWeedman.com can be accessed for detailed information by anyone
wishing to learn more about his opinions.
The website will also be offering a CD for sale by the end of this month, according to Forchion. The CD features the song NJWeedman Theme Song-Superhero to the Potheads which is about voting for him, performed by The Infamous LOS band from Trenton. Proceeds from the sale of the CD will be used to run his campaign for office. This and the donations he receives from the website are his only campaign fund sources. NJWeedman.com is a website with more than 500,000 hits overall in just two years. According to Forchion, people from all walks of life are interested in his cause. He is just doing what Bob
Marley said to in the song "Stand Up For Your Rights".
In his last run for a state office which was this past November "The US
Marijuana Party" got 7,000 votes in Burlington County. That was the
most for any 3rd party candidate on the card according to Forchion.
"Take a toke and vote for the weedman," Forchion said.
©Community News 2005
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RULING DOESN’T QUELL DEBATE By CHARLIE WEBSTER
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Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court reaffirmed
what everyone has known all along – marijuana use violates federal law. “It does just reconfirm the status quo,” said
David Evans, executive director of the Drug Free Schools Coalition.
“They didn’t overrule state law. You won’t get busted by state law
enforcement in places like The ruling does not strike down medical
marijuana laws already in place in The ruling also does not prevent additional
states from allowing the use of medical marijuana in the future. “They reaffirmed something we already knew,”
said Assemblyman REED GUSCIORA, D-Princeton, who has been working on
getting legislation to permit the use of
marijuana for medical reasons. |
<>
Justice O’Conner said in dissenting with the
opinion that it was Congress’ place to clarify the issue, but that
states had a right to become the laboratories of medical marijuana use
if they choose to do so. Supporters of total legalization of marijuana
use downplayed the Supreme Court opinion as more evidence of a activist court at work. “The Supreme Court has issued a political
decision – it has nothing to do with law,” Ed “WEEDMAN” Forchion. “It
has nothing to do with marijuana. It’s a state rights case and all the
states just lost.” Forchion argues that the state’s have a right
to determine for themselves what
constitutes a medicinal drug, and sides with the state’s that have
allowed the use of marijuana. He points out that statistics have shown
that state authorities prosecute 99 in 100 marijuana cases prosecuted
in the |
“Its not going to
matter to the vast majority of people who get busted,” Forchion said.
“It just doesn’t matter because it only affects a tiny number of
people. You probably can’t even find statistics showing how many Gusciora says that if “We don’t want to make a criminal out of
someone who is terminally ill,” Gusciora
said. Evans argues that medical marijuana is not a proven treatment and
has not been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration. He
says all medical marijuana does is provide a
excuse for people who want to get stoned under the guise of medical
treatment. Supporters obviously disagree. “Marijuana
laws do more harm to society then marijuana does,” Forchion said. My
position is that marijuana should be legalized no matter what.” |
June 6th, 2005
NJWEEDMAN turns in his petitions and successful gets placed on the November
General Election ballot as a candidate for the Office of the New Jersey Governorship.
June 3rd, 2005
The Courier Post Editorializes in favor of 'NJWEEDMAN'
 Weedman
has right to speak
Friday,
June 3, 2005
 Pemberton
Township resident Robert Edward Forchion, a perennial New Jersey
political candidate, has a message many people might not want to hear.
Forchion, who prefers the moniker NJ Weedman, advocates legalizing
marijuana use. We do not endorse using illegal drugs, but we do stand behind a person's right to say he does. Forchion has an undeniable right to state his claim as long as he doesn't break the law he's contesting. That right has been upheld by the court, but it continues to lead to confrontations with authorities. On May 11, Forchion was arrested for trespassing at the State House in Trenton. He had attempted to pass out campaign fliers in the press offices at the state building. It is something he has done in the past. It also was not an unusual request, as candidates and others seeking the public's attention often visit the press offices. But when Forchion showed up wearing a campaign T-shirt with a message about legalizing marijuana, a state police officer told him the press area was off limits. What happened next will likely be settled in a court, where so many of Forchion's collisions with authorities end. The only thing both sides agree on is that Forchion was charged with defiant trespass, resisting arrest and other offenses. It is unclear how a person can trespass in a public building during a time when it is open to the public. It is equally difficult to understand how Forchion can be denied access to an area in that public building that is frequented by the public. Forchion might not appear to be the kind of person the First Amendment was written to protect. His in-your-face push for legalizing marijuana juts out from the American mainstream. But he is just the person for whom the amendment's free-speech rights were written - someone expressing a view the majority dislikes. Silencing people such as Forchion will, in the end, make it harder for anyone to speak up. Silence, not the Forchions in America, poses a threat to our way of life |
Memorial Day May 31st, 2005
NJWEEDMAN ONCE AGAIN ACCOSTED BY POLICE
Seaside Heights Police don't respect NJWEEDMAN
right to Political Expression!
 5/16/2005 Weedman busted - but not for 'that' If there's an election afoot in the state of New Jersey, you can be sure Ed Forchion wants in. Last week, Forchion, a.k.a. NJWeedman, who advocates legalizing marijuana, said he wants to be the state's next governor. On Wednesday, the Weedman, who last ran against Rep. Jim Saxton on the U.S. Marijuana Party ticket, went to the Statehouse in Trenton to hand out campaign flyers on press row. But state police said Forchion became "boisterous" when told that flyers could not be distributed in the Statehouse. When he refused to leave, Forchion was arrested and charged with being a disorderly person, defiant trespassing, and resisting arrest, said Sgt. Gerald Lewis, a state police spokesman. (Question: How does one "defiantly trespass" on state property?) Weedman, a regular at the Statehouse, tells a slightly different story. He said the trooper was a new guy who did not like the candidate's pro-reefer T-shirt. Weedman said that when he defended the shirt as protected free speech, he was cuffed and kicked. Either way, back to jail Weedman went. |
TIMES of
NJ
Weedman faces trespassing charges
TRENTON - Edward Forchion,
the Pemberton Township resident and marijuana proponent better known by
the self-ascribed moniker NJ Weedman, was arrested inside the State
House building yesterday afternoon on his way to tell news reporters
about his intention to run for governor, officials said. Forchion, 40, of Browns
Mills, never got past the New Jersey State Police troopers who guard
the State House complex. Troopers arrested Forchion after he refused to
leave the building after being told press row was not open to the
public, state police spokesman Sgt. Gerald Lewis said. He was charged with
resisting, defiant trespass and improper behavior.
Although the state police
say press row is not a publicly accessible area, State House-based
reporters say that members of the public routinely visit the area to
pitch stories. Forchion's fight to legalize
marijuana on Rastafarian religious grounds has taken him to several
arenas in the past decade, from running for a number of political
offices, including Congress, to firing up marijuana joints in public. In March 2000, Forchion
smoked marijuana in the State House's Assembly chambers during a
session and was arrested by state troopers. Forchion was being held
last night on $40,000 bail at the Trenton Police Department lockup.
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TRENTONIAN NJ
Weedman arrested inside statehouse
Robert Edward “weedman”
Forchion, 40, of Pemberton, was arrested at “He actually came to the
front entrance, signed in and asked to be allowed to go to press row to
handout fliers,” Lewis said, “Troopers told him that
the public is not allowed to access the area. The officers asked him if
they could call someone to come and meet him and he refused.” Forchion became boisterous
and refused to leave, officials said. Officers arrested him,
took him to headquarters, and processed him. He is presently being lockedup on $40,000 bail, according to family
members. Forchion a Rastafarian by faith, is no stranger to run-ins with the law. In 1997 he was convicted
of possessing more than 40 pounds of marijuana and served 17 months of
a 10 year prison sentence. Forchion did not return several phone calls
yesterday for comment. BY ARTEMIS COUGHLAN |
Monday May 10th, 2005
NJWEEDMAN again announces he plans on
running for the Office of the Governor
NJWEEDMAN and Junior on the streets of Trenton getting
signatures for his run for Governor! (This is protected activity)
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THE TRENTONIAN
4/11/2005
Court upholds ‘Weedman’ DNA ruling
CAMDEN -- An
appellate court Friday upheld the Superior Court of New Jersey’s
decision not to charge Robert Edward "Weedman" Forchion with refusing
to comply with an order to supply DNA samples to police.
Forchion, a frequent candidate
for office, a Rastafarian by faith and a pro-legalization marijuana
activist,said he was elated when he got the news Saturday.
"I am happy. Now I don’t have to supply a DNA sample," Forchion said. In 1997 Forchion was convicted on possession of more than 40 pounds of pot. He believes that smoking marijuana is a sacrament. He served 17 months of a 10-year prison sentence and was released in April 2002. He was thrown back in jail four months later after he produced a pro-marijuana commercial but was released because a judge determined the commercial was protected by his right of free speech. After his release he was notified that he, as a convict, had to supply authorities with a DNA sample, Forchion said yesterday. The state, effective Sept. 22, 2003, required that everyone who has served a sentence or other supervision as a result of a crime supply DNA samples. The appellate court agreed with Forchion’s argument that he didn’t violate the Sept. 22, 2003 order by Judge Shirley A. Tolentino because he wasn‘t ordered to appear at a certain time or place, according to the April 8, 2004 decision. The judge’s order "...stated you will be notified at a later date as to a time and place where this sample will be taken," according to the decision. A separate memorandum dated Nov. 25, 2003 actually gave the notice for Forchion to appear on Dec. 2, 2003 at the Camden County Hall of Justice. "The defendant did not violate that order. ...Under these unique and extraordinary circumstances, we must conclude that there was no clear judicial order (Forchion) disobeyed and ...the indictment was appropriately dismissed," the decision said. Forchion refused to give a DNA sample and filed a suit in federal court saying the requirement was unconstitutional. "I learned that 2,000 other citizens have refused to comply with the law," Forchion said. "My DNA is safe from the government for now."
©The
Trentonian 2005
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THE BURLINGTON COUNTY TIMES 4/13/2005 Appeals court upholds refusal to provide DNA
sample
By MIKE
MATHIS
Burlington County Times TRENTON - An appeals court has upheld the dismissal of criminal contempt charges against marijuana-legalization advocate Ed Forchion for refusing to give the state a sample of his DNA. "I don't think the government should have my DNA, or anyone's DNA," Forchion said yesterday. "There was no way I was going to voluntarily give it." The state Attorney General's Office said yesterday it was considering an appeal. At issue is Forchion's opposition to a law that requires criminals to provide DNA samples when they are sent to jail or sentenced to probation. The law also required anyone in jail or on probation at the time of its passage in September 2003 to submit DNA samples to the state. Forchion, who lives in Pemberton Township, was enrolled in the state's probation-like Intensive Supervision Program on a 2000 marijuana-distribution conviction at the time. Despite his outspoken defiance of the DNA-sample law, the state discharged Forchion from supervision Dec. 3, 2003, without forcing him to submit a sample. A month later, a grand jury in Camden County indicted Forchion on a charge of contempt for not complying with the law. The charge carried a possible prison term of 18 months. In response, Forchion challenged the indictment and the DNA-sample law. A Superior Court judge in Camden County dismissed the charges in September after Forchion argued the court order did not specify a certain time or place to provide the DNA sample. The state Attorney General's Office appealed the decision, but the appeals court ruled Friday it agreed with the decision by the judge from the lower court. It further found that Forchion received a notice from his program supervisor that he would not be sanctioned for refusing to provide a DNA sample. "Under these unique and extraordinary circumstances, we must conclude that there was no clear judicial order defendant 'disobeyed' (the law) and, therefore, that the indictment was appropriately dismissed," the appeals court wrote. Email: mmathis@phillyBurbs.com April 13, 2005 6:12 AM |
