LEGALIZE MARIJUANA PARTY

PRESS RELEASE

 

NJWEEDMAN.COM 4 GOVERNOR

 

“Stop bitchin and support a revolution!”

 

Yesterday June 6th, 2005 Edward “njweedman” Forchion officially filed his petition to be placed on the Nov. General Election ballot. This was a great feat considering many times when “NJWEEDMAN” goes out in public he is accosted and arrested by law enforcement who dis-agree with his “political opinion” that marijuana should be legal. Just in the last month “NJWEEDMAN has been arrested three times for publicly stating his political opinion and the NJ Attorney General refuses to enforce his RIGHT to speak freely.”  

 

(1)   On May 11th, 2005 at the state-house: NJWEEDMAN was arrested while attempting to deliver a PRESS RELEASE (announcing his plans to run for Governor) to the states newspapers on PRESS ROW .  State Trooper Rasinsky didn’t like his shirt!!!

     (SEE: http://www.njweedman.com/attacked.html)

 

(2)   On May 31st, 2005 (Memorial day) NJweedman was arrested twice on the Seaside Heights boardwalk while getting signatures for his petition. Patrolman FRAAS didn’t like his advocating legalization.

(SEE: http://www.njweedman.com/seaside_heights.htm)

 

NJWEEDMAN’s goal is to obtain at least 100,000 votes (5ooo from each county) and to air the commercials state-wide that the State of New Jersey imprisoned me for 5 months for producing in 2002. I’m angry at what the state has done to my life because I chose to smoke safe natural marijuana instead of the dangerous Government approved plant “TOBACCO”. The marijuana laws have ruined my life not marijuana! The Government lies about marijuana. “This is a protest of the state marijuana laws and a call to the state’s potheads (compliment) to come out and join his protest. I’ve stopped bitchin I’m trying to start a revolution and want the states potheads to get behind me and VOTE”. (To me the term POTHEAD is a compliment and a term of endearment)

 

 

 

 

Major Announcements

 

I’m angry now, I’ve stopped bitching and I’m openly calling for a “REEFER REVOLUTION”. My campaign slogan is “FUCK the Law, smoke it anyway”! In September I will hold a march thru the streets of Trenton to the State capital building where I will then conduct a “SMOKE-OUT”!

 

A.                            I don’t want the state’s newspapers to call me Ed Forchion, I want to be called the name I’ve chosen for myself and the state has refused to allow me to called: “NJWEEDMAN.COM”

B.                            I’ve temporarily stopped smoking marijuana because of the job I was just hired for last week. I need a job to support my family, while I 100% wish to continue to smoke I’m doing this for the sake of my family. I’ll quit my job in September just before my SMOKE-OUT.

C.                            I will only sporadically campaign because of the real threat of constant arrest at the hands of state officials who dis-agree with my “POLITICAL EXPRESSION”. The Justice Department should monitor and enforce my RIGHt to speak and campaign freely but even U.S. Attorney Christopher Christie had me arrested three times in 2003 for holding a sign calling him a HYPOCRITE!

                  (SEE: http://www.njweedman.com/hypocrite.html )

 

 

 

CONTACT INFO:   CELL NUMBER (609)509-0133

                                   HOME NUMBER (609) 893-XXXX

 

WEBSITE: WWW.NJWEEDMAN.COM and WWW.TLMP.ORG

     

    

    

 

 

 

 

THE COURIER POST

 

‘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

 

 

 

TIMES of TRENTON

 

NJ Weedman faces trespassing charges

 

Thursday, May 12, 2005

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

 

TRENTONIAN

NJ Weedman arrested inside statehouse

 

Thursday, May 12, 2005

 

TRENTON – A self-proclaimed  pro-legalization marijuana activist known as NJWEEDMAN was arrested by New Jersey state police yesterday at the statehouse after he refused to leave the building when his request to go to the press area was denied.

 

Robert Edward “weedman” Forchion, 40, of Pemberton, was arrested at 2:30 p.m. yesterday and charged with dis-orderly conduct, resisting arrest and defiant trespass, said Sgt. Gerald Lewis.

 

“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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Governor-hopeful arrested in Seaside Heights
_________________________________________

By Chris Lundy
Staff Writer

    SEASIDE HEIGHTS - A gubernatorial hopeful known as "NJWEEDMAN" was arrested on memorial day and charged with disorderly conduct after refusing to stop collecting signatures for a petition.


    Edward Forchion, who calls himself NJWEEDMAN, said he was compiling signatures to run for Governor Monday on the Legalize Marijuana Party.



    He said he was wearing a shirt and had a sign promoting the legalization of marijuana. Forchion said he collected about 300 signatures Monday in
Seaside Heights.



    Forchion was handing out fliers and hanging signs on a railing,
Seaside Heights Capt. David Szalkowski said. This is illegal without a permit.


    Forchion was issued a summons for soliciting. When he became agitated and irate with the officers, he was placed under arrest at
7:20 p.m. and charged with disorderly conduct, Szalkowski said.


    Forchion said he stood on the boardwalk and let people come to him, which is not soliciting. If people approached him, then he would ask them for signatures and offer fliers.


    Having signs and asking people to sign a petition is protected under freedom of speech, Forchion said. He stated it was ironic his first amendment rights were violated on a national holiday.


    "I don't want to have a campaign on being arrested, "Forchion said.



    Forchion has been arrested several times and charged with different offenses, including smoking marijuana in the
New Jersey Assembly chambers.



(Chris Lundy: (732) 557-5748