Edward Forchion
Encyclopedia
Robert Edward Forchion, born July 23, 1964, and also known as NJWEEDMAN, is a cannabis
activist and a perennial candidate
for various New Jersey
elected offices. He is a resident of the Browns Mills
section of Pemberton Township, New Jersey
.
Forchion identifies himself as a member of the Legalize Marijuana Party
and campaigns primarily on the single issue of cannabis
legalization. Forchion has performed various stunts to bring attention to cannabis legalization, including smoking cannabis in front of the Liberty Bell
in Philadelphia, as well as attempting to legally change his name to NJWeedman.com. As a result of such antics, Forchion has appeared before U.S. courts multiple times - both as a defendant
facing marijuana possession charges, and a plaintiff
in civil rights
actions pertaining to marijuana advocacy and consumption.
In 1982, upon graduation from Edgewood Regional High School
in Atco, New Jersey
, he enlisted in the New Jersey National Guard
and enrolled at Claflin College
, Orangeburg, South Carolina
. In 1986 he received an honorable discharge from the NJ National Guard and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
, and without marijuana, he had an asthma attack and was medically discharged. After being discharged from the Marine Corps
, he changed his name to Edward and enlisted in the United States Army
. While in the army he used cannabis despite the warnings from the government, to control his asthma. On April 18, 1988 he married his first wife Pam in Fort Bliss, Texas
, and in 1990 he receive an honorable discharge from the army. He became a coast-to-coast trucker using his own truck he purchased in 1994.
According to his website, Forchion is a practicing Rastafarian
.
He proudly admits he was a "marijuana smuggler", driving hundreds of pounds of cannabis from Arizona border towns to east coast cities such as Cleveland, Ohio
, Philadelphia, New York City
and Camden, New Jersey
. His Mexican/Cuban suppliers in Arizona were the first to dub him The New Jersey Weedman, because while other drugs were available for transport he only wanted to transport cannabis.
charges by the Camden County Drug Task Force and locally-based DEA agents, after being found in possession of approximately 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) of the drug. As trial commenced, a plea deal was offered: Forchion would plead guilty in exchange for a flat 10-year prison sentence. On September 20, 2000, he was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana by Judge Ronald Thompson and started his sentence.
Forchion was released after 17 months on April 3, 2002 into New Jersey's Intensive Supervision Parole (ISP). He was ordered forbidden from "promoting the use of marijuana" as a parole condition. Parole officers considered Forchion's speaking to the press, in specific, The Trentonian and "various Philadelphia newspapers", as a violation of this condition. Furthermore, parole officers were informed that "[Forchion] had been handing out fliers and protesting in front of the Burlington County Courthouse regarding the legalization of marijuana". Forchion was re-imprisoned because of this on June 6, 2002, only to be released four days later. Continuing to violate the conditions of his parole, Forchion contracted with Comcast Communications to air a series of marijuana-advocacy commercials, and continued updating his website, www.njweedman.com, which he was ordered to refrain from doing. Finally, on August 19, 2002, he was imprisoned in lieu of an ISP violation hearing scheduled for January 17, 2003.
Seeing that the parole violation was a restriction of his Constitutionally-protected First Amendment right to free speech, Forchion attempted to obtain relief in Federal court. He filed both a habeas corpus
petition and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 First Amendment civil rights violation petition. The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey then consolidated the actions; the Court then issued an order to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not be issued reinstating the Plaintiff to the ISP program and oral argument was held on January 21, 2003. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas's
determined that Forchion was precluded from appealing the ISP Resentencing Panel and raising his constitutional challenges. The injunction was granted, Forchion v. Intensive Supervision Parole, et.al., 240 F.Supp.2d 302 (2003), freeing Forchion from prison and ordering ISP officials to give him forty-eight (48) hours notice of further intentions to violate his parole.
in Philadelphia, where he consumed marijuana at around 4:20PM. As a national monument under U.S. Park Service jurisdiction, this eventually resulted in a Federal case against Forchion that culminated in United States v. Forchion, when park rangers issued citations on multiple dates (December 20, 2003, March 20 and April 17, 2004) for possession of a controlled substance. He would use this case as an opportunity to argue that Constitutionally-protected freedom of religion allows Rastafarians to consume marijuana as a sacrament
.
The case ended up in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where a bench trial
before a Magistrate Judge found Forchion guilty. On July 22, 2005, an appeal before District Judge Stewart Dalzell
affirmed the convictions. Higher appeal to the U.S. 3rd Circuit was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction because appeal was not timely filed.
In 2009 he opened a Rastafarian Temple on Hollywood Blvd., named the Liberty Bell Temple II, after a series of protest he held at the Liberty bell in Philadelphia. At the Liberty Bell Temple he provided marijuana to hundreds of sick people every week, doing what he preached about in New Jersey. Being in Hollywood he quickly became a "hollywood personia", providing marijuana to patients and celbrities alike. NJweedman opened a party promotions company called NJWEEDMANPROMOTIONS. He stopped calling himself a "marijuana activist" and instead insisting he was now a "marijuana capitalist". He started hosting huge marijuana mansion parties in the Hollywood Hills where he openly provided marijuana to all the guests.
In 2010 Forchion became an author, of his own biography titled NJweedman Super-heroes of the Potheads ISBN/1450530311 first published on Jan 18th, 2010 ironically the same day New Jersey legalized Marijuana for medical purposes making Forchion feel vindicated for his decade of activism.
In February 2011, Forchion made the cover of SPLIFF Magazine. The article, written by Alisia Bolivar (Vol. 3, Issue 1; page 42), discusses Forchion's most recent court case, jury nullification, a brief history of jury nullification, and Forchion's Rastafarian ministry in Los Angeles, California.
defense to the charges he was facing he announced the formation of the Legalize Marijuana Party
and his intention to run for a seat on the Camden County Freeholders board and the first district Congressional seat. He now claims this was a successful tactic and has since continued to run for offices as a protest to the cannabis laws. Forchion now has a history of running for various state and federal offices as an independent candidate. Forchion has never been successful in any of his attempts for public office, which he acknowledges isn't even his goal.
and his "belief that our herb/sacrament is good" is oppressed. His statement ended with the slogans "TAKE A TOKE, THEN VOTE" and "ENEMY OF THE STATE" written in capital letters.
The Governor election was held on November 8, 2005. Of the ten candidates appearing on the ballot for Governor, Forchion came in sixth place with 8,271 votes, according to unofficial election results provided by the State of New Jersey. The election was won by Democrat Jon Corzine
.
in New Jersey being vacated by Jim Saxton
. He will be running under the "Legalize Marijuana (G.R.I.P.)" Party. He was the only independent running against Republican Chris Myers
and Democrat John Adler
. The Burlington County Democratic Party challenged Forchion's petition and he was removed from the ballot due to insignificant number of valid signatures.
, Republican. In both 1998 and 2000, Forchion ran and lost against incumbent Congressman Rob Andrews
, Democrat, receiving 1257 votes and 1959 votes, respectively. In his 1998 campaign, Forchion had not yet taken the moniker of NJWeedman, and instead ran as an independent simply as "Rob."
Besides the above campaigns for Congress, Forchion also ran for New Jersey General Assembly
. In 1999, Forchion received 947 votes and lost to incumbents Francis L. Bodine and Larry Chatzidakis, both Republicans.
for various drug related charges. The dates of his incarceration were between December 1, 2000 and April 3, 2002. Forchion’s offenses included the following:
According to his official statement mailed with the sample ballots during his 2005 candidacy for New Jersey Governor, Forchion notes that “I’ve been jailed without the right to a fair trial (2000), imprisoned for simply saying LEGALIZE IT”. Forchion describes himself as a former political prisoner
for his views.
Forchion was jailed from August 19. 2002 - Jan 24, 2003 by the State of New Jersey for attempting to air political ads calling for the end of the war on drugs. He was charged with advocating criminal activity; Forchion claimed it was a violation of his first amendment rights and filed a writ of habeas corpus. U.S. District court Judge Irena's held hearings and agreed that his imprisonment was a violation of his right to freedom of speech and ordered him freed saying; "Many elected public officials have called for a liberalization of the nation's drug laws. Simply put, Plaintiff's place in this debate will do nothing to harm a public that is already itself debating the current state of our nation's drug laws." Forchion was represented by New Jersey criminal defense attorney John Vincent Saykanic.
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
activist and a perennial candidate
Perennial candidate
A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...
for various New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
elected offices. He is a resident of the Browns Mills
Browns Mills, New Jersey
Browns Mills is a census-designated place and unincorporated area located within Pemberton Township, in Burlington County. As of the 2000 United States Census, the CDP population was 11,257.-Geography:Browns Mills is located at ....
section of Pemberton Township, New Jersey
Pemberton Township, New Jersey
Pemberton Township is a township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the township population was 28,691....
.
Forchion identifies himself as a member of the Legalize Marijuana Party
Cannabis political parties
This article is about single-issue cannabis political parties. For the legal issues see Legal issues of cannabis.- Australia :In the 1970s J.J. McRoach ran for parliament as candidate for the Australian Marijuana Party. He had an advertising campaign funded by a well-meaning anonymous dealer...
and campaigns primarily on the single issue of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
legalization. Forchion has performed various stunts to bring attention to cannabis legalization, including smoking cannabis in front of the Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
in Philadelphia, as well as attempting to legally change his name to NJWeedman.com. As a result of such antics, Forchion has appeared before U.S. courts multiple times - both as a defendant
Defendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
facing marijuana possession charges, and a plaintiff
Plaintiff
A plaintiff , also known as a claimant or complainant, is the term used in some jurisdictions for the party who initiates a lawsuit before a court...
in civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
actions pertaining to marijuana advocacy and consumption.
Life before politics and activism
In his online autobiography, Forchion claims smoking his first marijuana cigarette at age 16; he "instantly was impressed with its medicinal healing powers, in regards to his [asthma]". However, this conflicts with what he said in interview by The Trentonian: "I was 15 when I first got busted for smoking weed by my parents. And to this day my mother is against it, and just wishes I would shut up about it."In 1982, upon graduation from Edgewood Regional High School
Edgewood Regional High School
Edgewood Regional High School opened in 1958. Though the mailing address of the school was Atco, New Jersey, the site actually resided in a section of Winslow Township known as Tansboro. The school closed in 2001 due to the breakup of the Lower Camden County Regional High School District which...
in Atco, New Jersey
Atco, New Jersey
Atco is an unincorporated area in Waterford Township in Camden County, New Jersey, United States, in the Philadelphia-Camden metropolitan area, located 16 miles southeast of Camden. The town is at the western edge of Wharton State Forest and the Pine Barrens. Atco is the home of the Atco Raceway,...
, he enlisted in the New Jersey National Guard
New Jersey National Guard
The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of over 9000 Guardsmen. The Guard is currently engaged in several worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germany and Egypt...
and enrolled at Claflin College
Claflin University
Claflin University is located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. Claflin University was founded in 1869 and is the oldest historically black college or university in the state of South Carolina.-History:...
, Orangeburg, South Carolina
Orangeburg, South Carolina
Orangeburg, also known as "The Garden City," is the principal city in and the county seat of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city is also the fifth oldest city in the state of South Carolina. The city population was 12,765 at the 2000 census, within a Greater Orangeburg...
. In 1986 he received an honorable discharge from the NJ National Guard and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
, and without marijuana, he had an asthma attack and was medically discharged. After being discharged from the Marine Corps
Marine corps
A marine is a member of a force that specializes in expeditionary operations such as amphibious assault and occupation. The marines traditionally have strong links with the country's navy...
, he changed his name to Edward and enlisted in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. While in the army he used cannabis despite the warnings from the government, to control his asthma. On April 18, 1988 he married his first wife Pam in Fort Bliss, Texas
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in the U.S. states of New Mexico and Texas. With an area of about , it is the Army's second-largest installation behind the adjacent White Sands Missile Range. It is FORSCOM's largest installation, and has the Army's largest Maneuver Area behind the...
, and in 1990 he receive an honorable discharge from the army. He became a coast-to-coast trucker using his own truck he purchased in 1994.
According to his website, Forchion is a practicing Rastafarian
Rastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
.
He proudly admits he was a "marijuana smuggler", driving hundreds of pounds of cannabis from Arizona border towns to east coast cities such as Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Philadelphia, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
. His Mexican/Cuban suppliers in Arizona were the first to dub him The New Jersey Weedman, because while other drugs were available for transport he only wanted to transport cannabis.
Legal matters
Edward Forchion has several convictions, as well as a pending case, for marijuana possession. Forchion puts himself at risk for arrest for laws criminalizing the consumption, possession, and transport of the drug, as he interprets U.S. Constitutional protections on religions freedom to allows him to circumvent these laws. As outlined in the following sections, Forchion has challenged, and U.S. courts have so far rejected, his interpretation of the law:2000 marijuana conviction
On November 24, 1997, Forchion was arrested on marijuana traffickingIllegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
charges by the Camden County Drug Task Force and locally-based DEA agents, after being found in possession of approximately 25 pounds (11.3 kilograms) of the drug. As trial commenced, a plea deal was offered: Forchion would plead guilty in exchange for a flat 10-year prison sentence. On September 20, 2000, he was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana by Judge Ronald Thompson and started his sentence.
Forchion was released after 17 months on April 3, 2002 into New Jersey's Intensive Supervision Parole (ISP). He was ordered forbidden from "promoting the use of marijuana" as a parole condition. Parole officers considered Forchion's speaking to the press, in specific, The Trentonian and "various Philadelphia newspapers", as a violation of this condition. Furthermore, parole officers were informed that "[Forchion] had been handing out fliers and protesting in front of the Burlington County Courthouse regarding the legalization of marijuana". Forchion was re-imprisoned because of this on June 6, 2002, only to be released four days later. Continuing to violate the conditions of his parole, Forchion contracted with Comcast Communications to air a series of marijuana-advocacy commercials, and continued updating his website, www.njweedman.com, which he was ordered to refrain from doing. Finally, on August 19, 2002, he was imprisoned in lieu of an ISP violation hearing scheduled for January 17, 2003.
Seeing that the parole violation was a restriction of his Constitutionally-protected First Amendment right to free speech, Forchion attempted to obtain relief in Federal court. He filed both a habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
petition and 42 U.S.C. § 1983 First Amendment civil rights violation petition. The U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey then consolidated the actions; the Court then issued an order to show cause why a preliminary injunction should not be issued reinstating the Plaintiff to the ISP program and oral argument was held on January 21, 2003. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas's
Joseph Eron Irenas
Joseph Eron Irenas is a United States federal judge.Born in Newark, New Jersey, Irenas received an A.B. from Princeton University in 1962 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1965, where he graduated cum laude. He was in private practice of law at McCarter & English in Newark, New Jersey from...
determined that Forchion was precluded from appealing the ISP Resentencing Panel and raising his constitutional challenges. The injunction was granted, Forchion v. Intensive Supervision Parole, et.al., 240 F.Supp.2d 302 (2003), freeing Forchion from prison and ordering ISP officials to give him forty-eight (48) hours notice of further intentions to violate his parole.
2005 marijuana conviction
To celebrate his freedom, Forchion held monthly Rastafarian religious services at the Liberty BellLiberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
in Philadelphia, where he consumed marijuana at around 4:20PM. As a national monument under U.S. Park Service jurisdiction, this eventually resulted in a Federal case against Forchion that culminated in United States v. Forchion, when park rangers issued citations on multiple dates (December 20, 2003, March 20 and April 17, 2004) for possession of a controlled substance. He would use this case as an opportunity to argue that Constitutionally-protected freedom of religion allows Rastafarians to consume marijuana as a sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
.
The case ended up in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where a bench trial
Bench trial
A bench trial is a trial held before a judge sitting without a jury. The term is chiefly used in common law jurisdictions to describe exceptions from jury trial, as most other legal systems do not use juries to any great extent....
before a Magistrate Judge found Forchion guilty. On July 22, 2005, an appeal before District Judge Stewart Dalzell
Stewart Dalzell
Stewart R. Dalzell is a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, Judge Dalzell graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business in 1965 and received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law...
affirmed the convictions. Higher appeal to the U.S. 3rd Circuit was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction because appeal was not timely filed.
DNA sample litigation
Forchion simultaneously fought the state of New Jersey's newly enacted DNA law, for several months his case put on hold the state's new DNA law. Eventually Forchion won his DNA case and was not obligated to surrender his DNA.Name change petition
The Camden County Prosecutor's Office and the State of New Jersey successfully fought his petition to legally change his name to that of his website: NJWeedman.com.Move to California
In 2008 Forchion fled to California seeking asylum, leaving the Garden State for the pot-friendly environs of Los Angeles. Forchion claimed he was living in political exile, having fled the official persecution of NJ State authorities for his political views on marijuana legalization.In 2009 he opened a Rastafarian Temple on Hollywood Blvd., named the Liberty Bell Temple II, after a series of protest he held at the Liberty bell in Philadelphia. At the Liberty Bell Temple he provided marijuana to hundreds of sick people every week, doing what he preached about in New Jersey. Being in Hollywood he quickly became a "hollywood personia", providing marijuana to patients and celbrities alike. NJweedman opened a party promotions company called NJWEEDMANPROMOTIONS. He stopped calling himself a "marijuana activist" and instead insisting he was now a "marijuana capitalist". He started hosting huge marijuana mansion parties in the Hollywood Hills where he openly provided marijuana to all the guests.
In 2010 Forchion became an author, of his own biography titled NJweedman Super-heroes of the Potheads ISBN/1450530311 first published on Jan 18th, 2010 ironically the same day New Jersey legalized Marijuana for medical purposes making Forchion feel vindicated for his decade of activism.
In February 2011, Forchion made the cover of SPLIFF Magazine. The article, written by Alisia Bolivar (Vol. 3, Issue 1; page 42), discusses Forchion's most recent court case, jury nullification, a brief history of jury nullification, and Forchion's Rastafarian ministry in Los Angeles, California.
Political ambitions
In 1998 as a way of supporting his planned Jury NullificationJury nullification
Jury nullification occurs in a trial when a jury reaches a verdict contrary to the judge's instructions as to the law.A jury verdict contrary to the letter of the law pertains only to the particular case before it; however, if a pattern of acquittals develops in response to repeated attempts to...
defense to the charges he was facing he announced the formation of the Legalize Marijuana Party
Cannabis political parties
This article is about single-issue cannabis political parties. For the legal issues see Legal issues of cannabis.- Australia :In the 1970s J.J. McRoach ran for parliament as candidate for the Australian Marijuana Party. He had an advertising campaign funded by a well-meaning anonymous dealer...
and his intention to run for a seat on the Camden County Freeholders board and the first district Congressional seat. He now claims this was a successful tactic and has since continued to run for offices as a protest to the cannabis laws. Forchion now has a history of running for various state and federal offices as an independent candidate. Forchion has never been successful in any of his attempts for public office, which he acknowledges isn't even his goal.
2005 Governor of New Jersey race
Forchion ran for Governor of New Jersey in 2005 under the slogan of “Legalize Marijuana (G.R.I.P.)- Get Rid of Incumbent Politicians”. As with his prior campaigns, Forchion ran largely on cannabis legislation. In his official statement mailed with the sample ballots to registered New Jersey voters, Forchion accuses the "Christian Government and law enforcement officers who rely on this ungodly racist WAR ON DRUGS for their livelihoods" as interfering with his rights to freedom of religion and speech. In particular, he notes that his religion of RastafariRastafari movement
The Rastafari movement or Rasta is a new religious movement that arose in the 1930s in Jamaica, which at the time was a country with a predominantly Christian culture where 98% of the people were the black descendants of slaves. Its adherents worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia , as God...
and his "belief that our herb/sacrament is good" is oppressed. His statement ended with the slogans "TAKE A TOKE, THEN VOTE" and "ENEMY OF THE STATE" written in capital letters.
The Governor election was held on November 8, 2005. Of the ten candidates appearing on the ballot for Governor, Forchion came in sixth place with 8,271 votes, according to unofficial election results provided by the State of New Jersey. The election was won by Democrat Jon Corzine
Jon Corzine
Jon Stevens Corzine is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and of MF Global, and a one time American politician, who served as the 54th Governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. A Democrat, Corzine served five years of a six-year U.S. Senate term representing New Jersey before being elected Governor...
.
2006 United States Senate election, New Jersey
Forchion ran for US Senator from New Jersey in 2006. He was placed on the ballot with the same “Legalize Marijuana (G.R.I.P.)" slogan. Forchion came in fourth place with 11,593 votes, or approximately 0.5% of the vote according to the official vote tallies. Forchion finished behind Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez, Republican candidate Thomas Kean, Jr., and Libertarian Len Flynn, but ahead of five other candidates.2008 Congressional Campaign, New Jersey
Forchion announced that he would run for the 3rd Congressional seatNew Jersey's 3rd congressional district
New Jersey's Third Congressional District is currently represented by Republican Jon Runyan. It is a swing district, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+1. Former NFL player Republican Jon Runyan defeated John Adler in the 2010 House elections...
in New Jersey being vacated by Jim Saxton
Jim Saxton
Hugh James "Jim" Saxton is an American Republican Party politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented from 1984 to 1993. From 1993 to 2009, he represented .-Life:...
. He will be running under the "Legalize Marijuana (G.R.I.P.)" Party. He was the only independent running against Republican Chris Myers
Chris Myers (New Jersey)
Chris Myers is an American business executive and politician, currently serving as Mayor in Medford, New Jersey. He was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for New Jersey's 3rd congressional district, a seat which was open due to the retirement of incumbent Jim Saxton, in 2008.-Biography:Myers was...
and Democrat John Adler
John Adler
John Herbert Adler was a U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He was a member of the Democratic Party. He was formerly a member of the New Jersey Senate from 1992 to 2009, where he represented the 6th Legislative District. The district stretches from the suburbs of Philadelphia...
. The Burlington County Democratic Party challenged Forchion's petition and he was removed from the ballot due to insignificant number of valid signatures.
Other elections
Forchion ran in 2005 for a Congressional seat from New Jersey, garnering 4,914 votes, approximately 1.6% of the vote. He lost to incumbent Jim SaxtonJim Saxton
Hugh James "Jim" Saxton is an American Republican Party politician. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented from 1984 to 1993. From 1993 to 2009, he represented .-Life:...
, Republican. In both 1998 and 2000, Forchion ran and lost against incumbent Congressman Rob Andrews
Rob Andrews
Robert Ernest "Rob" Andrews is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1990. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Camden County and parts of Burlington County and Gloucester County....
, Democrat, receiving 1257 votes and 1959 votes, respectively. In his 1998 campaign, Forchion had not yet taken the moniker of NJWeedman, and instead ran as an independent simply as "Rob."
Besides the above campaigns for Congress, Forchion also ran for New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
. In 1999, Forchion received 947 votes and lost to incumbents Francis L. Bodine and Larry Chatzidakis, both Republicans.
Incarceration history
Forchion was incarcerated in Camden, New JerseyCamden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
for various drug related charges. The dates of his incarceration were between December 1, 2000 and April 3, 2002. Forchion’s offenses included the following:
- 1 count/merged count of : 2C:5-2*2 Conspiracy
- 1 count/merged count of : 2C:35-5*2 CDS/Manufacture, Distribute, Dispense
- 1 count/merged count of : 2C:20-7*3 Receiving Stolen Property
- 1 count/merged count of : 2C:20-3*3 Theft by Unlawful Taking/Disposition
According to his official statement mailed with the sample ballots during his 2005 candidacy for New Jersey Governor, Forchion notes that “I’ve been jailed without the right to a fair trial (2000), imprisoned for simply saying LEGALIZE IT”. Forchion describes himself as a former political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
for his views.
Forchion was jailed from August 19. 2002 - Jan 24, 2003 by the State of New Jersey for attempting to air political ads calling for the end of the war on drugs. He was charged with advocating criminal activity; Forchion claimed it was a violation of his first amendment rights and filed a writ of habeas corpus. U.S. District court Judge Irena's held hearings and agreed that his imprisonment was a violation of his right to freedom of speech and ordered him freed saying; "Many elected public officials have called for a liberalization of the nation's drug laws. Simply put, Plaintiff's place in this debate will do nothing to harm a public that is already itself debating the current state of our nation's drug laws." Forchion was represented by New Jersey criminal defense attorney John Vincent Saykanic.