Ed Forchion, aka: NJ Weedman, has had a full plate regarding his involvement with the government over marijuana. Today, (6-27-13) he will appear in court to fight a search that was conducted under the pretense that the officer has, "never seen a person wearing a weed shirt that didn't have weed on them". He was pulled over in Evesham Township and he recorded video of the event that can be seen here:
Because of a small patch on his vest, NJ Weedman was searched, where upon the officer found a small amount of personally prescribed marijuana of Ed's. This led to an arrest and today is the day that Ed goes again before a Judge and begins a fight over the legitimacy of marijuana law.
After his arrest, Ed put out a Brief that questioned the legitimacy of criminal statutes when NJ law distinctly recognizes marijuana as a medicine. So far, several cases have been dismissed as a result of Ed's open-access Brief. This means that while these cases are not going to court to settle the question of whether the medical laws prevail, several young, innocent, non-violent smokers are free to continue about their days without worry of jail, court costs, fines and other nasty side effects of getting found guilty.
We'll be keeping up with Ed as things unfold. Since this was a very personal amount (grams), the likelihood of this being a precedent setting case is low. Nonetheless, if Ed gets this case dismissed or otherwise, he is pro full legalization of marijuana and he'll be continuing the good fight far into the future.
Showing posts with label drug war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drug war. Show all posts
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
OPINION : Drug War is "Horrendous"
To what degree do we separate opinion and fact?
This is an opinion piece, though "Drug War is 'Horrendous'" sounds like a fact. I've seen stories of innocent people killed in bad raids. I've seen stories of children taken from their parents by the State over a bowl and a few grams of marijuana. This is not acceptable. This is not what justice and law was put here to do.
We've seen a time of police state establishment unlike any other: the Boston Bombing manhunt where iron-clad war vehicles rolled down suburban streets "cold-calling" houses and searching without warrant. Circumstance does not matter: we NEED to stop forfeiting our rights so easily!
Every time you file taxes, you are supporting the drug war. Every time you don't film a cop making an arrest, you are supporting the drug war. We need to wake up and put our collective foot down on the illegal branches of our government as well as the illegal use of surveillance that is so clearly occurring, (thanks Snowden).
NA Poe declared boldly in pre-trial that the fact that he wasn't being released that day was "horrendous" and right he was. Everything about the drug war is horrendous. We've made a horror show of our fringe communities like Kensington and North Philadelphia because we consistently refuse to address the drug problem in a real way.
Cops are content getting paid to be big boy security safety officers. Drug addicts are content getting drugs illegally. City services is content hauling away the corpses of the OD victims. Everything in the system seems so utterly unchangeable, even when talking about the lives of family... friends... loved ones...
Addiction is an illness, but like Mitch Hedberg said,
"Alcoholism is the only disease you can get in trouble for. Compare these two sentences; 'Dammit Mitch, you're an alcoholic.' and 'Dammit Mitch, you have lupus.' One does not sound like the other."
We can and must do better. Sign a petition. Join an event. Do SOMETHING. Just don't be another generation of quiet, closet-hidden hippies in fear of the law like we saw in the 60's. Plug a gun with something better than a flower. Let's get back to basics.
This is an opinion piece, though "Drug War is 'Horrendous'" sounds like a fact. I've seen stories of innocent people killed in bad raids. I've seen stories of children taken from their parents by the State over a bowl and a few grams of marijuana. This is not acceptable. This is not what justice and law was put here to do.
We've seen a time of police state establishment unlike any other: the Boston Bombing manhunt where iron-clad war vehicles rolled down suburban streets "cold-calling" houses and searching without warrant. Circumstance does not matter: we NEED to stop forfeiting our rights so easily!
Every time you file taxes, you are supporting the drug war. Every time you don't film a cop making an arrest, you are supporting the drug war. We need to wake up and put our collective foot down on the illegal branches of our government as well as the illegal use of surveillance that is so clearly occurring, (thanks Snowden).
NA Poe declared boldly in pre-trial that the fact that he wasn't being released that day was "horrendous" and right he was. Everything about the drug war is horrendous. We've made a horror show of our fringe communities like Kensington and North Philadelphia because we consistently refuse to address the drug problem in a real way.
Cops are content getting paid to be big boy security safety officers. Drug addicts are content getting drugs illegally. City services is content hauling away the corpses of the OD victims. Everything in the system seems so utterly unchangeable, even when talking about the lives of family... friends... loved ones...
Addiction is an illness, but like Mitch Hedberg said,
"Alcoholism is the only disease you can get in trouble for. Compare these two sentences; 'Dammit Mitch, you're an alcoholic.' and 'Dammit Mitch, you have lupus.' One does not sound like the other."
We can and must do better. Sign a petition. Join an event. Do SOMETHING. Just don't be another generation of quiet, closet-hidden hippies in fear of the law like we saw in the 60's. Plug a gun with something better than a flower. Let's get back to basics.
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