NJ Weedman Going to Court Today to Fight Evesham Township

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.

NJ Weedman Frustrated over 'Clipped Wings'

Ed Forchion on a charity flight to LA for his cancer treatment

NJ Weedman, aka: Ed Forchion, has been a well-known metro area face for the controversy surrounding his beliefs on marijuana. Lately, however, Ed has been using experimental bone cancer treatments available only in LA to combat a rare form of bone cancer called "giant cell tumors". Despite having had tumors removed and treating with traditional means, some of Ed's tumors are growing.

X-Rays of Ed's Bone tumors

"This one got taken out but this one and this one are growing," Ed explained in an interview while looking over his x-rays. Despite what everyone thinks, the experimental treatment that he receives in LA is not actually a cannabis treatment, (though Ed has explained that he's trying to implement as much cannabis oil as possible, just in case) it is a new type of bone hardener that doctors believe may combat the cancer.

Mmm, Mmm, First Class deliciousness.
No wonder "No Pictures", look
what the common man is
missing!!!

The high life at 30,000 feet in transit to LA

Recently, Ed thought he had been granted a reprieve from the forces that work to screw him over. He had secured a charity flight service that committed that they would fly him to and from LA for his treatments. Of course, he was very appreciative.

Ed enjoying the service and hospitality aboard the flight

Unfortunately, Ed's luck didn't change for the better. Upon posting several pictures to Facebook of the plane and the cabin in excitement, Ed inadvertently broke some rules that had apparently not been explained.

"They didn't tell me nothing," Ed said in defense. "If I had known that [taking pictures] was against the rules, I wouldn't have taken 'em." Regardless of his apologies, the sponsoring charity organization for his first flight denied him future flights after he arrived in LA.

Ed was awaiting his treatment at the hospital when the limo driver that taxi'ed him there came in and said that he had to leave. This limo driver said that he was called off the assignment and was to report back immediately.

Ed was shocked. According to what he'd been told, he would be assured travel between PHL to LA and taxi service before and after his treatment. He called in to find out what had happened but was met with only the basics.

A gentleman from the charity spoke with Ed in a very angry tone: he was not happy that pictures of the plane had made it online. Ed was able to keep the driver on hand while working things out over the phone. While they didn't want to, the charity service provided him a flight back from his treatment via commercial air liner. 

Ed was told after returning home that he would not be able to get continue getting charity flights. Apparently, from the conversation that Ed had, the owner of the plane was contacted directly with a complaint that the photos were being distributed. Ed doesn't have direct proof, but he's confident that it was either State or Federal authorities.

Who's at the controls of charity flights? Can't someone help Ed out?

"I don't have a way to prove it, but I know it was them." Ed stated, assuring me that he knows that the government was responsible for his plight.

His logical explanation was that few people that follow him on Facebook would call in a complaint about charity he receives and that it is likely that Federal and/or State authorities would have the resources to look up the plane owner with ease using just the ID numbers and letters on the side of the turbine.

This, if actually a government action, would not be the first of its kind. Ed has been targeted by the government in LA as well while he was operating a State legal medicinal marijuana shop. His crop was raided, his shop was taken away and all of his assets were frozen. Because of this previous altercation, Ed said that he's sure that the government is trying to "screw him", and he might be right.

"This is twice now that they did this to me. They're deliberately making it harder for me because they want me to fail. They want my message to fail." Ed said.

NJ Weedman Working to Get Clarity on New Jersey's Weed Laws

Among the best known marijuana activists from New Jersey, Ed Forchion, aka: the NJ Weedman, has been wrapped up in legal battles nearly non-stop regarding cannabis. His use of Jury Nullification to hang Juries and exonerate him from what would have been ludicrous criminal sentences have resounded across the East Coast. Now, NJ Weedman is taking a step further in his home State of New Jersey.

Ed has recently filed a twelve page motion in the State of New Jersey allowing ANY persons who've been arrested on marijuana charges to JOIN him in fighting to change the laws in favor of an evolving view on marijuana use, (just fill out the highlighted parts and send it according to the instructions listed at the bottom of the PDF - remember not to send the instructions along with your motion of dismissal!). Since New Jersey currently has medicinal marijuana laws on the books, and because those said laws have been put into effect more recently than the criminal definitions and regulations concerning cannabis, Ed is encouraging people to question the New Jersey government on whether the newest laws can trump the old ones.

Forchion stated in an interview, “I’m tired of being a one-man gang, I’ve been arguing these arguments for years. I’m just putting it out there. I don’t care who does it, but let’s get it done.” His brief basically states that since former Governor Jon Corzine signed the New Jersey medicinal marijuana laws into effect, (January 18th, 2010) all marijuana arrests should become null and void.

While this may seem like a daunting hill to climb, the real question behind this must be addressed: which law supersedes when there are two laws in conflict within New Jersey? Medical laws allow patients to possess and use cannabis. Ed "NJ Weedman" Forchion has medical cards in several States that allow for medical marijuana, (not New Jersey, however). Whereas other States honor other State's medicinal cards as proof of need for this medicine, New Jersey's medical marijuana laws are very strict and to be frank, not well thought out.

Not only is New Jersey unwilling to accept medical marijuana ID cards from other States, other pot marks exist in the history of the legislation. For example, at one point it had been argued that New Jersey dispensaries must "limit" the percentage of THC in the medical marijuana that they distribute. As each strain has a variable THC content depending upon multiple factors, accomplishing this goal would be extremely time consuming and would induce TONS of wasted product that could be used as good medicine to those that need it.

Ed is through playing games in his home State when it comes to the best medicine that he has found for his rare bone tumor condition.

“They could have corrected this little problem, but they did nothing,” said Forchion. 

“The implementation of the medical marijuana act, in effect, made the criminal status null and void and canceled it out. You have a law saying something is blue and something is red, and they punish you for doing it red,” Ed stated in response to the contradictory nature of New Jersey statutes concerning marijuana.

Indeed, the marijuana legislation in New Jersey, just as across the country is all askew. While marijuana is legally medicine and allowed to be prescribed, it is still criminal to possess when found by Officers of the law. While we will live to see a day when over half of the States in the USA recognize medicinal marijuana and allow it, our Federal government refuses to adjust with the times. Even in lieu of Federal agencies, institutes and Centers stating repeatedly that cannabis has medicinal properties, the Department of Justice refuses to mandate that Congress reclassify cannabis under "the Controlled Substances Act", (currently putting marijuana in the same bracket as crack and heroin; as a Schedule I drug, marijuana is claimed to hold a "high risk of abuse" and "have no recognized medicinal value").

The FDA is still being petitioned by a number of cannabis-related science companies and even governmental agencies to recognize marijuana as a medicine. Ed Forchion's case of bone tumor treatment is proof in and of itself that cannabis works as medicine. There are countless stories like his, too. People are using cannabis oil to treat cancerous tumors and they are beating the illness, even in doctor diagnosed "hopeless cases". For more information, check out Rick Simpson's page on Phoenix Tears.