'NJ Weedman' welcomes his arrest on marijuana charges

[slimvictor]

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20100407__Weedman__welcomes_drug_arrest.html


By Sam Wood
Inquirer Staff Writer

Ed Forchion doesn't deny it. There was a pound of marijuana - "high-grade California Kush" - in the trunk of his rent-a-wreck when he was stopped in Mount Holly on Thursday night by a state trooper.

The dreadlocked Rastafarian, better known as "NJ Weedman," who ran unsuccessfully for New Jersey governor and U.S. and state representative on the Marijuana Party ticket, was released from the Burlington County jail on Tuesday after posting $50,000 bail on drug possession and distribution charges.

He did not intend to be arrested, said Forchion, 45. "But now that I've been charged, it feels like destiny. That's exactly what I wanted to do."

Forchion, who moved from Browns Mills two years ago to open a medical-marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles called the Liberty Bell Temple, said he returned to South Jersey last week "to spend a little time in the courts."

Forchion has been a vocal critic of the New Jersey law, passed in January, that legalized marijuana use by patients with cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and other debilitating diseases.

"I was coming home on a mission to file some paperwork and challenge it," Forchion said on Tuesday.

The criminal statute in New Jersey states that marijuana has no medicinal value. The new measure does recognize a medical use for the drug, but only gives "a certain class of people" permission to use it, he said.

Forchion said the new law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.

His arrest gives him the opportunity to take his stand to the New Jersey courts, he said.

"I'm going to fight," Forchion said, acknowledging that he could be sentenced to seven years in prison if convicted. "I'm not afraid to go to jail. I think I can win."

Forchion was driving a rented 2001 Pontiac Grand Am Thursday after 10 p.m. when he pulled up to a stop light on Route 38. He said he had been visiting his children in Burlington County and was headed to Camden County, where he planned to stay with other relatives.

A trooper who pulled alongside Forchion said the Pontiac rolled into the intersection before the light turned green, said Sgt. Steve Jones, a state police spokesman.

After stopping the Pontiac, the officer smelled burned marijuana and saw a glass smoking pipe on the rear floor. Forchion says the pound of marijuana troopers found in a suitcase was for personal use. He denied he had any intention of selling it.

"A pound of marijuana is like a carton of cigarettes to me. What do they think I was going to do? Sell nickel bags on the corner?" he scoffed. "I'm the Weedman."

 

[ChronicHD]

"A pound of marijuana is like a carton of cigarettes to me. What do they think I was going to do? Sell nickel bags on the corner?" he scoffed. "I'm the Weedman."

Hah unreal. What a legend. Too bad he didn't drive a little more cautiously.

 

[thinctwo]

I am pro-marijuana for all purposes, but I am against this guy and places like the temple.

I found information on Liberty Bell Temple and Ed Forchion, and unfortunately I'd think places like this are a big part of why LA is trying to get rid of medicinal marijuana dispensaries. They do have a large web presence, are more extreme and dude is very extreme with, among other things, Ed's (attempted) rename to njweedman.com

Articles on Ed Forchion's homepage say he was convicted for trafficking marijuana (receiving lots of shwag), robbing a casino (snatched casino chips and ran after losing), possession of stolen goods, and a firearm violation. Do we want this to be the image American voters could have of marijuana proponents and medicinal marijuana providers?

I have to wonder about temples too. Just the name makes me think twice, and I've seen a lot of temples in a few countries. Liberty Bell Temple "Where our sacrament meets your medicinal needs, first gram free for new patients" is a marijuana dispensary / house of worship run like too openly for me, they have chalices, i.e. bongs, you can use for the sacrament. That sounds reasonable for a decriminalized establishment, but unfortunately I'd imagine conservatives could describe it as a dope spot and talk about it like it was a den of sin or something whereas if dispensaries are more white-coatish while dispensing medicinal marijuana and not decriminalized marijuana I don't think the public would end up feeling the same way.

If you have no medical need and card they sell religious marijuana as well it looks like, I don't know whose authority is needed to buy religious marijuana (identical to medicinal marijuana and black market marijuana). Claim to be a member of their religion and perform some spiritual rituals and maybe read and write or something similar and not too difficult I'd think. I have a few friends who can marry people and have a title like minister through a short and simple process that took minimal effort and expense and I think the public recognizes that some religions could be façades for drug use and responds accordingly.

I think the negative attention the owner and place and those like it may draw to actually implementing his position on marijuana rather than opting for more moderate approaches may be bad for many by delaying decriminalization if it is to happen. Stunts like smoking a joint in the New Jersey state legislature chamber, a state representative's office, and at the Liberty Bell in Philly can polarizing and may move us away from decriminalization.

Selfishly (I want decriminalization) I want to see people de-radicalized and quieter more than anything. Remember, njweedman.com, or mr .com I guess, and many like him in the marijuana business will be out of work or with decreased profits with decriminalization if a bunch of Fortune 500 companies move in, along with everyone who can keep a small plant alive.

 

[DexterMeth]

^I fully agree, and that's simply too damn bad for mom and pop operations. I want to RE-legalize cannabis. Small time herb farmers are going to have to adopt/absorb/expand or dissapear.

I don't really see what your problem is with this guy's behavior though. Somehom has to be him, and he pulls that off pretty well. Radicalists will always be an issue; it's their nature.

 

[Njweedman420]

There are HATERS everywhere! - Im a legalizer! - Im not ashamed of anything i've done, do or will do.

If your a person who believes everything the police say i can't change your mind. -- The police are clearly lying, and fortunately for me there is a video of the stop. -- The officer looked at me and decided to check me out (he got lucky) now he is lying to cover-up his profile stop. He smelled no marijuana (i didnt smoke in the car), he found a pipe under the back seat (not in plan veiw) - i envoked my right to "protection against warrantless searches" and he had to get a warrant. Two hours after i was stopped the car was officially searched with a warrant from a judge. -

The LIBERTY BELL TEMPLE is more like a religious themed marijuana pub - so what! It should be 100% legal. (Religious use - why would i ask anyone for permission to use religiously in a country that professes religious freedom!!!




http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2010/04/08/news/doc4bbd458e69ca0323467124.txt

By SULAIMAN ABDUR-RAHMAN
Staff Writer



Click to enlarge



MOUNT HOLLY —“NJ Weedman” Ed Forchion said he wishes he hadn’t been driving with a pound of herb in his car on April Fools’ Day. But he’s also charging police with racially profiling him.

Forchion, 45, was arrested at 10:15 p.m. April 1 on several pot possession charges after getting stopped on Route 38 in Mount Holly, according to state police.

Trooper Ken Rayhan pulled Forchion over on the highway near Pine Street on allegations Forchion stopped his his car at a red light and proceeded to drive before the light turned green.

But the routine traffic stop turned into a criminal investigation when the trooper “smelt burnt marijuana coming from the car” and “saw a glass smoking pipe on the rear floor,” said state police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones.

Forchion, who sports a dreadlocks hairdo, admits to possessing the pound of weed — “I clearly use marijuana” — but he accuses Rayhan of initiating a “straight profile stop.”

Rayhan has been on the state police force for about six years. He stopped Forchion “for no other reason than he disobeyed traffic laws,” Jones said.

Forchion was driving in the right lane of the highway and stopped his vehicle “basically in the middle of the intersection” upon realizing the traffic light of his lane was red while the left-hand turn signal turned green, Jones said in explaining the motor vehicle stop.

Forchion is a Burlington County native and self-described “weed capitalist” who moved to the West Coast two years ago to open up a medical marijuana dispensary in Hollywood. He has a history of multiple failed bids for elected office in New Jersey, centering his campaigns around legalizing pot for everyone, not just for the “walking dead.”

“I wasn’t even in town 24 hours and the state arrested me,” said Forchion, a father of five. He services patients, including celebrities, with his legal weed joint in California, but “I come to town every other month to visit my kids.”

The author of “Public Enemy No. 420,” a narrative on pot, Forchion said he “made the mistake of not having a hat on” when he was arrested here last week. He said his hat would have concealed his dreads, which he said would have minimized suspicion of wrongdoing.

Weedman said he will fight to get his charges dropped and he said he will also file a lawsuit against the state to overturn the state’s medical marijuana law. Forchion said he believes the law is unconstitutional for allowing terminally ill people to possess marijuana while state criminal law prohibits anyone else from possessing pot.

“The state should not be able to have two legal descriptions of the same substance,” Forchion said. “How can the state be allowed to have it both ways?”

State police said Forchion was driving while suspended in a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix that was rented in someone else’s name. Police said they found the weed after scouring through the car on a search warrant.

The pot activist was charged with possession of marijuana over 50 grams, possession with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to obey a traffic signal, driving while suspended and driving with a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle, state police said. Weedman was also jailed on two unrelated warrants: one for $10,000 in unpaid child support and a $350 traffic warrant, state police confirmed. Forchion said he was released Monday after paying the $10,000 child support and posting the 10 percent of his $50,000 bail.

Forchion said the state “opened up a can of worms, because I’m gonna fight. I’m looking forward to my day in court.”

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Hey, if you know you're going down, you might as well use it as a chance to further the cause, right? Good luck Weedman. I'm sure there'll be plenty of media outlets that will want to invite you in and hear your story, whether or not the NJ judges want to.

 

[Njweedman420]

(1st) - I aint going down.
Second i've been doing interveiws for the last three days. (radio,TV and newspapers - even went to hightimes nyc today)

ive beaten a few case's and this one doesnt even scare me!!!
looking forward to making the state look like fools.

 

[FacedAgain]

I dont think these people are haters. they are simply wanting to forward the cause and they see high profile anti-mmj cases as exactly the opposite.

Either way man, good luck. fuck those motherfucking cops who think they are above the law.

 

[thinctwo]

Please Mr. Weedman do use this as an opportunity to further the cause of decriminalization/legalization. There don't have to be radicals in a movement, I believe in the middle path and that taking a moderate position is the most productive option in almost all cases. There is no need to get in people's faces and be combative, the truth will set us free.

Agreed you aren't necessarily going down and I'm down with keeping that positive mental attitude and rejecting the notion that something that could or even likely will be bad will be. But regardless of details I wouldn't say jail time is not a possibility after getting caught with that weight in that jurisdiction. I also agree a pound of good weed could be thought of as equivalent to a carton of cigs with some reasonable assumptions made about consumption rates of both.

I agree 100% that a religiously themed marijuana pub should be legal, along with non-religiously or medicinally themed marijuana pubs. However, I'm not so sure if it is.

Various religious establishments have faced court in the USA arguing religious freedom justifies use of illegal drugs or performance of illegal acts (DMT, laughing gas, marijuana, euthanasia) but the judicial system's responses have not been consistent regarding religious freedom trumping all other laws. The United Global Mankind Divine Maintenance and Direction and Church of Cognizance are two marijuana based "religions" that apparently can not use marijuana religiously in the USA without risking arrest.

A counter argument is that allowing religious use of marijuana or giving a member of any particular religion special treatment under the law deprives members of other religions or no religion at all of equal rights. What exactly the establishment clause in the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution means and covers is widely debated.

Good luck, please think of those of us who might not have religions or live in liberal states when dealing with medicinal marijuana or decriminalization. Maybe Liberty Bell Temple should have a hat on to hide its dreadlocks, so to speak, as well. It might have prevented the DEA raid and trouble with the Silverlake temple, who knows?

 

[Z Y G G Y]

Hej NJ WM, I have total respect for you but at least pay the child support man, I think that might make you look the worst of all the offenses you have. Maybe I don't know the whole sorry so sorry for butting in. No paying child support can lessen the impact of your cause, at least to most people it seems it would.

 

[Damien]

I love it when people find articles about themselves on BL.

Except for Ben from intervention, that wasn't as fun.

Welcome to Bluelight Weedman.

 

[Njweedman420]

There don't have to be radicals in a movement, I believe in the middle path and that taking a moderate position is the most productive option in almost all cases. There is no need to get in people's faces and be combative, the truth will set us free.

Agreed you aren't necessarily going down and I'm down with keeping that positive mental attitude and rejecting the notion that something that could or even likely will be bad will be. But regardless of details I wouldn't say jail time is not a possibility after getting caught with that weight in that jurisdiction. I also agree a pound of good weed could be thought of as equivalent to a carton of cigs with some reasonable assumptions made about consumption rates of both.

I agree 100% that a religiously themed marijuana pub should be legal, along with non-religiously or medicinally themed marijuana pubs. However, I'm not so sure if it is.

Various religious establishments have faced court in the USA arguing religious freedom justifies use of illegal drugs or performance of illegal acts (DMT, laughing gas, marijuana, euthanasia) but the judicial system's responses have not been consistent regarding religious freedom trumping all other laws. The United Global Mankind Divine Maintenance and Direction and Church of Cognizance are two marijuana based "religions" that apparently can not use marijuana religiously in the USA without risking arrest.

A counter argument is that allowing religious use of marijuana or giving a member of any particular religion special treatment under the law deprives members of other religions or no religion at all of equal rights. What exactly the establishment clause in the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution means and covers is widely debated.

Good luck, please think of those of us who might not have religions or live in liberal states when dealing with medicinal marijuana or decriminalization. Maybe Liberty Bell Temple should have a hat on to hide its dreadlocks, so to speak, as well. It might have prevented the DEA raid and trouble with the Silverlake temple, who knows?

It might have prevented the DEA raid and trouble with the Silverlake temple, who knows? -

- The Silver Lake Temple was run by my ex-partner Pat Duff and he practically invited the DEA to raid him and then they did. --


There don't have to be radicals in a movement, I believe in the middle path and that taking a moderate position is the most productive option in almost all cases.


-- I dont think of myself as a radical. Im just not scared like most are, I can publicly tell the truth about Marijuana. If you look back at my history I just tell the truth and i've been out of the cannabis closet for a long time so i dont hide my use of mj. - BUT there must be outspoken people for change to happen, most are sheep and followers doing what they are told and shutting up about it. im no sheep, the first amendments right to free speech was designed to protect the lions amongst us who would speakout against government action/abuse. I consider myself a LION - Im even a LEO (July 23rd).


A counter argument is that allowing religious use of marijuana or giving a member of any particular religion special treatment under the law deprives members of other religions or no religion at all of equal rights. What exactly the establishment clause in the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution means and covers is widely debated.

That is what occurs now!!! Christians are allowed to use their sacrament (WINE) while outlawing everyone else's. - ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_and_spiritual_use_of_cannabis )



.

 

[Njweedman420]

Hej NJ WM, I have total respect for you but at least pay the child support man, I think that might make you look the worst of all the offenses you have. Maybe I don't know the whole sorry so sorry for butting in. No paying child support can lessen the impact of your cause, at least to most people it seems it would.

Yeah, i wish you knew the whole story. When me and my ex- broke up she was a scorn women keeping me from my child. She didnt care that i smoked marijuana when we were together then when we broke up she used my used my advocation of mj as a reason to keep me from my child. the courts issued two orders one for visitation and one for support. The court then only enforced child support and ignored the visitation order. my ex refused to allow me to see my child for years at a time. the courts wouldnt enforce my visitation orders at some point i stopped abiding by the support orders - (She makes close to 100,000.oo a year, so dont worry she aint starving)

I havent been allowed to see my child for over 6 years because of my political and religious veiws and before that it was a couple of years. if i was a christian and a drunk i could see my child, but because i rejected christianity and chose my own faith, the christians judges of burlington county refuse to allow me to see my child. -

 

[Njweedman420]

By SULAIMAN ABDUR-RAHMAN
Staff Writer


MOUNT HOLLY —“NJ Weedman” Ed Forchion said he wishes he hadn’t been driving with a pound of herb in his car on April Fools’ Day. But he’s also charging police with racially profiling him.

Forchion, 45, was arrested at 10:15 p.m. April 1 on several pot possession charges after getting stopped on Route 38 in Mount Holly, according to state police.

Trooper Ken Rayhan pulled Forchion over on the highway near Pine Street on allegations Forchion stopped his his car at a red light and proceeded to drive before the light turned green.

But the routine traffic stop turned into a criminal investigation when the trooper “smelt burnt marijuana coming from the car” and “saw a glass smoking pipe on the rear floor,” said state police spokesman Sgt. Stephen Jones.

Forchion, who sports a dreadlocks hairdo, admits to possessing the pound of weed — “I clearly use marijuana” — but he accuses Rayhan of initiating a “straight profile stop.”

Rayhan has been on the state police force for about six years. He stopped Forchion “for no other reason than he disobeyed traffic laws,” Jones said.

Forchion was driving in the right lane of the highway and stopped his vehicle “basically in the middle of the intersection” upon realizing the traffic light of his lane was red while the left-hand turn signal turned green, Jones said in explaining the motor vehicle stop.

Forchion is a Burlington County native and self-described “weed capitalist” who moved to the West Coast two years ago to open up a medical marijuana dispensary in Hollywood. He has a history of multiple failed bids for elected office in New Jersey, centering his campaigns around legalizing pot for everyone, not just for the “walking dead.”

“I wasn’t even in town 24 hours and the state arrested me,” said Forchion, a father of five. He services patients, including celebrities, with his legal weed joint in California, but “I come to town every other month to visit my kids.”

The author of “Public Enemy No. 420,” a narrative on pot, Forchion said he “made the mistake of not having a hat on” when he was arrested here last week. He said his hat would have concealed his dreads, which he said would have minimized suspicion of wrongdoing.

Weedman said he will fight to get his charges dropped and he said he will also file a lawsuit against the state to overturn the state’s medical marijuana law. Forchion said he believes the law is unconstitutional for allowing terminally ill people to possess marijuana while state criminal law prohibits anyone else from possessing pot.

“The state should not be able to have two legal descriptions of the same substance,” Forchion said. “How can the state be allowed to have it both ways?”

State police said Forchion was driving while suspended in a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix that was rented in someone else’s name. Police said they found the weed after scouring through the car on a search warrant.

The pot activist was charged with possession of marijuana over 50 grams, possession with intent to distribute, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to obey a traffic signal, driving while suspended and driving with a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle, state police said. Weedman was also jailed on two unrelated warrants: one for $10,000 in unpaid child support and a $350 traffic warrant, state police confirmed. Forchion said he was released Monday after paying the $10,000 child support and posting the 10 percent of his $50,000 bail.

Forchion said the state “opened up a can of worms, because I’m gonna fight. I’m looking forward to my day in court.”

 

[Njweedman420]

I love it when people find articles about themselves on BL.

Except for Ben from intervention, that wasn't as fun.

Welcome to Bluelight Weedman.

I use to post on this site back in the 90's but there were a bunch of cop types and racist here who were offended that this NEGRO would be advocating changing the drug laws and I was BANNED by the jerk who was moderating then. - I still post here occasionally under a couple different names. (i just use different IP address's, and screen names - i have about 20 different yahoo accounts) - I created this profile the other day to post as myself.

 

[phr]

Site was started in 1999.

 

[slimvictor]

Let's try not to lose perspective: this guy was arrested because he had some FLOWERS that make people laugh and relax and feel hungry.

In any country with real freedom, he would not be involved in the criminal system.

 

[thinctwo]

Agreed slimvictor, law enforcement is trying to make Mr. Weedman a victim in the war on drugs and that is not cool. But, and I mean no disrespect to Mr. Weedman and sincerely hope he doesn't get any time or anything, the bigger issue is how can we get to having marijuana decriminalized fastest? I believe a moderate approach is best.

In my opinion we don't need to buy advertising or do anything dramatic to further the cause, we have momentum and the truth on our side. Decriminalization is far less controversial and looking much more like an attainable goal than it was just 5 years ago, let's not stir up controversy and derail things. Just because someone hasn't done something over the top to show support for decriminalization doesn't make them a sheep. Let the silent majority be as they are, chances are they take their stance not out of fear but for pragmatic reasons. If you want to be a high profile pro-weed person unfortunately I think you should expect to deal with some government bs for taking that position.

I think most people can best further the cause by being responsible, productive members of society and unashamed marijuana users. We can show with our actions that marijuana is not a problem to those around us and rationally explain our views if asked. This doesn't mean I'm going to make a practice of indiscreetly smoking in public because that's asking for trouble IMO. There's a time and place to bite your lip; I'm not going to try going through customs and immigration in any country wearing a pro-pot or pro-opiates t-shirt.

Working with the internet and computers I interact with many people who are all about the ganja and don't care who knows. Most good IT/software shops don't drug test and know they would lose half of their technical employees (and almost all of the really good ones) if they decided to crack down on weed use. Smoking before, during, and after work with coworkers is fine in most of the computer/internet companies I've worked with as long as you don't go to work totally baked and still perform quality work after smoking.

While I can make pot jokes with my supervisor and coworkers I'm not going to try talking about weed with the CEO or anyone really high up the chain of command very much even with knowledge that they smoke as they have obligations to maintain the appearance of propriety. The furthest I've gone was informing my direct supervisor that there would be "special" smoke breaks, which was fine as long as discretion was used and work performance didn't suffer.

Sorry to hear about the BS with child support and your ex and daughter, Weedman... I hate hearing about the system working against fathers as it seems to in so many cases.

A big difference between Christians being able to use their sacrament (wine) and other religions not being able to use their sacraments is that everyone can use the Christian sacrament, there is no law against wine. Now if the law said only Christians can drink wine I believe this would violate the rights granted to Americans by the first section of the 14th amendment, just as I believe it is wrong that members of the Native American Church can use their otherwise illegal sacrament (peyote) and I can't because of religious differences.

This is my objection to religious marijuana: there should be no situation in which the law applies differently to anyone due to their religious preference. I'm against marijuana being only for the "walking dead" for the same reason, we all deserve equal treatment under the law.

 

[slimvictor]

^ I agree with essentially everything you said.

However, one issue I am not sure about: if nobody stands up like NJ Weedman and becomes a high-profile cannabis user, I somehow doubt that they will notice that there are many of us who are responsible, productive members of society. They won't ask us to explain our views, since they will assume that we don't use cannabis. It seems hard to create any real change that way.

That said, I am not planning to get arrested to further the cause any time soon.

For this reason, I respect NJ Weedman, and others who stand up for what should be our natural right, for what they are doing.

 

[Khadijah]

Watup Weedman! Aw shit, When i seen this thread pop up again I was like ooooh He at it again--been a minute since I seen anything about you on here. I am glad to see you still out there doin the damn thing--Dirty jersey all day long! Keep doin wat you do--you make people pay attention, you forcin them to listen they cant ignore that. iunno about everybody else but I sure enough appreciate the shit u do, and u keep tryin and fightin against these evil mu'fuckas in power, they can say anything they will but nobody can say you aint willin to stand up for wat u believe in....Hope that these fools in power out here will see the light sooner or later and gods gift to all of us can be smoked freely like it should be, I look forward to the day I can burn a L in peace and happily tell my P/O there aint nothin he can do about it.

big Ups!

Edit, Oh yea, and forget about these lames that was hatin on you, a bunch of white bread know-nothin fools, there is different folks in charge these days and they dont tolerate folks actin ignorant about shit like that. I remember when u used to post and people was hatin for no damn reason except becuz thats wat redneck confederate flag flyin punks like them do, but the way shit is now adays garbage like that gets took off the site real quick so dont let some lil bitches like that keep u away.