Tag Archives: NJWeedman

Activist and Ganjapreneur Ed ‘NJWeedman’ Forchion Promotes ‘Puff & Paint’ Cannabis Creativity at The Joint of Miami

MIAMI, Fla. /ScoopCloud/ -- Legendary marijuana activist and ganjapreneur Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion is continuing his legacy of promoting 'puff and paint' cannabis creativity. The opening of his new marijuana lounge in Miami, The Joint of Miami in the Wynwood Art District, will be an extension of his legacy in support of 'pot art.'

The Joint of Miami, alongside NJWeedman's Joint in Trenton, NJ now both boast beautiful new outdoor wall murals painted by graffiti art master, Ayumi Chisolm aka SANOizm. In addition, NJWeedman is hosting an art themed pre-opening "Puff & Paint" event at his Miami location from May 14th, 10:00 a.m. ET to June 11th, 10:00 p.m. ET. "Puff & Paint" at The Joint of Miami is inviting artists to blaze and paint while creating artwork for the interior walls of the weed lounge! Professional artists who are looking to participate can send examples of their artwork to art director Jazz Tarver at artdirector@thejointofmiami.com for consideration and invitation details. The Joint of Miami is located at 2010 NW Miami Ct. in Miami.

NJWeedman's longstanding love for weed art dates back to his first marijuana dispensary, The Liberty Bell Temple, (see https://youtu.be/-jWnvGd-N4M ) located in Hollywood, CA. In 2008, Ayumi Chisolm aka SANOizm painted an interior canvas and mural covering the ceiling plus the front windows of that now mythical location. SANOizm (SimpleArtNiceOutlinez, StylesAllwayzNumberOne, SmokeAnotherNiceOne) is an award winning multi-disciplined urban artist originally from Cleveland, Ohio. He began doing graffiti art in 1983 and now travels the world creating community aerosol art murals, illustration and designs. His mark on now three of NJWeedman's businesses are important contributions to the culture of cannabis creativity. Sano maintains a small art studio in Chinatown, Los Angeles where he prints his brand, Thieveland T-shirts.

"It was important for me to have Sano leave his artistic impression on both my Trenton and Miami locations. I consider his imprint a blessing to my businesses. He has artistically documented my marijuana legacy in a way that words could not capture. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the spirit of his images is worth 10,000 words. I think my favorite is his mural outside of NJWeedman's Joint in Trenton. It's called "The Battle of Trenton 2" and is an accurate depiction of how I won my fight against the prosecutor's office in Trenton for unfair charges filed against me (see https://nj1015.com/nj-weedman-promises-to-give-prosecutor-legal-ass-whooping-after-major-bust.")

"It's no secret that marijuana and hip hop art are like first cousins," adds Sano, an avid partaker of the herb. "It has been an amazing journey to illustrate the story of NJWeedman with my art. I deeply appreciate his patronage over the years and am excited to have my work adorn both locations in Trenton and now in Miami, particularly in the Wynwood Art District which is famous for Art Basel and street art. Our work is sometimes overlooked and underrated in the contemporary art world but is an important component of our culture."

A cult figure in the marijuana legalization community, Forchion has since become one of the most vocal and controversial members of the pro-pot movement. He is the founder of the Legalize Marijuana Party of New Jersey and has run previous campaigns for Governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, the State Legislature, and the Burlington County Board of Freeholders. After decades of public persecution, Ed Forchion is finally being acknowledged for his decades of activism. He has spoken on virtual panels at Stockton and Princeton University, was featured on NBC News in New York and he is slated to appear on an upcoming segment of Vice TV and ABC-TV Nightline.

While NJWeedman's Joint in Trenton, NJ is a bustling marijuana themed eatery and smoke shop with his partner, Debi Madaio, The Joint of Miami is an extension of the NJWeedman brand, offering a more inclusive cannabis experience. The Joint of Miami, located in the Wynwood Art District, will be an art and music marijuana lounge with 'members only' access. Slated to open midsummer, The Joint of Miami will be a franchise operation and NJWeedman is already fielding inquires in other cities.

For more information about The Joint of Miami and Puff & Pass, head over to https://thejointofmiami.com/.

Take a puff with NJWeedman and read all about his adventures at https://linktr.ee/NJWeedman

Follow Ayumi Chisolm aka SANOizm at @sanoizm (https://www.instagram.com/sanoizm/) on Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Makeda Smith
Jazzmyne Public Relations
makeda@jazzmynepr.com
323-380-8819

Legendary marijuana activist and ganjapreneur Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion is continuing his legacy of promoting 'puff and paint' cannabis creativity. The opening of his new marijuana lounge in Miami, The Joint of Miami in the Wynwood Art District, will be an extension of his legacy in support of 'pot art.'

Related link: https://thejointofmiami.com/

Ganja Pioneer Ed ‘NJWeedman’ Forchion Commemorates 4/20 with New Jersey Celebration and Miami Expansion

TRENTON, N.J. /ScoopCloud/ -- While "Weed Day" 4/20/21 marks a luminous occasion for longtime marijuana activist and entrepreneur, Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion, in his home state of New Jersey, per the recent legalization of cannabis, the victory is somewhat bittersweet for him. The bitter is that his current "Citizen's Dispensary" operates as a black-market operation as he continues to battle for inclusion within the legal arena.

The sweet is, not only a huge in-store and online celebration party this 4/20, but also the announcement of his expansion, with a 420-themed lounge opening soon in Miami, Florida, entitled, The Joint of Miami. Onsite festivities for this 4/20 at NJWeedman's Joint, located at 322 E. State St. in Trenton, include vendors, live entertainment and food with online streaming across all the NJWeedman's Joint social media platforms and website.

A self-confessed weed smuggler from the early 90's, Forchion's 1997 arrest by the Camden County Drug Task Force and members of the local DEA would turn out to be just one of many over several decades. Never one to back done from authority, he achieved media notoriety when he was arrested for smoking marijuana in front of the entire New Jersey State Assembly in 2000 and garnered a national platform when he fired it up at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, PA during the Republican National Convention. It was 10 years before the launch of Instagram and smoking weed publicly was still a criminal act, but there was no social media to make such radical deeds of civil disobedience go viral. Over 20 years later however, with marijuana finally legalized in over half of the United States, Forchion knows that his consistent battles on behalf of the plant are part of the steam engine behind cannabis now being heralded as a 'new' billion-dollar industry.

A cult figure in the marijuana legalization community, Forchion has since become one of the most vocal and controversial members of the pro-pot movement. He is the founder of the Legalize Marijuana Party of New Jersey and has run previous campaigns for Governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, the State Legislature, and the Burlington County Board of Freeholders. After decades of public persecution, Ed Forchion is finally being applauded for his decades of activism. Last month he spoke on virtual panels at Stockton and Princeton University, was featured on NBC News in New York and he is slated to appear on an upcoming segment of ABC-TV Nightline.

His many marijuana infused media stunts are well documented, including his attempt to legally change his name to NJWeedman.com, denied first by the courts in New Jersey in 2004 and in another case in California in 2011. His 2010 arrest in Mount Holly New Jersey, after a traffic stop where he was charged with possession with intent to distribute, with a jury ultimately serving a 12-0 verdict of acquittal, also added to his lore. His marijuana mansion parties in the Hollywood Hills between the years of 2009 and 2011; his Liberty Bell Temple dispensaries in Hollywood and his books, including his first title, "Public Enemy #420," published in 2010 all lend credence to NJWeedman's devotion for marijuana.

Police raids, DEA investigations, and state prosecutors have hounded Forchion coast to coast from New Jersey to Los Angeles and now back in New Jersey, but he has never missed a beat. His current reincarnation is NJWeedman's Joint, opened in 2015 with the support of his business partner, Debbi Madaio. The establishment was raided in 2016 by the local police and Forchion ultimately spent 447 days behind bars, only to later have a large portion of the charges dismissed by a judge.

While NJWeedman's Joint is a bustling marijuana themed eatery and smoke shop, The Joint of Miami will be an extension of the NJWeedman brand, offering a more inclusive cannabis experience. The Joint of Miami, located in the Wynwood Art District, will be a marijuana lounge with 'members only' access. Slated to open midsummer, The Joint of Miami will be a franchise operation and NJWeedman is already fielding inquires in other cities.

"I always dreamed this day would come," expresses Forchion. "I, like so many others, knew there was nothing criminal about this plant, yet we were treated like criminals. Now that it is legalized, our battle is with the politicians and corporations who want to shut out people like me, the brick layers of this industry. I tell everyone, I'm not getting off this 'cannabus.' I've been a ride or die soldier for years now and I'm not going anywhere."

"Back in mid-2000, I left New Jersey for Hollywood, CA. I was one of the early marijuana legalization pioneers out there, until the DEA made me leave. I came back to New Jersey, I saw what was going on and I conquered. My boast is that they can't get a jury of 12 to convict me. Now I'm headed to Miami and I'm super excited about the upcoming Florida expansion with the new lounge location. In fact, I envision 'Joint' locations around the country," notes Forchion.

For more information about NJWeedman's Joint 4/20 party, go to https://njweedmansjoint.com/home.

For more information about The Joint of Miami, head over to https://thejointofmiami.com/.

Take a puff with NJWeedman and read all about his adventures at https://linktr.ee/NJWeedman.

MEDIA CONTACT
Makeda Smith
Jazzmyne Public Relations
makeda@jazzmynepr.com
Phone Number: 323-380-8819

While "Weed Day" 4/20/21 marks a luminous occasion for longtime marijuana activist and entrepreneur, Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion, in his home state of New Jersey, per the recent legalization of cannabis, the victory is somewhat bittersweet for him.

Related link: https://www.facebook.com/NJWEEDMAN

NJWeedman Responds to New Jersey Governor’s Request for Dismissal in Ed Forchion vs. Phil Murphy Cannabis Case

TRENTON, N.J. /ScoopCloud/ -- Veteran marijuana activist Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion put New Jersey under the cannabis microscope late last year when he challenged the state's newly passed marijuana legalization laws with a lawsuit directed at Governor Phil Murphy (Case 3:20-cv-16582-PGS-TJB FORCHION v. MURPHY at: http://njweedman.com/Federal_Cannabis_lawsuit.pdf ).

In response to the governor's recently filed request for the lawsuit's dismissal (http://www.njweedman.com/Federal_Cannabis_Lawsuit_Murphy_REPLY.pdf) , Forchion's attorney, John Vincent Saykanic, Esq. has filed a 78-page complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief (http://www.njweedman.com/Federal_Cannabis_Lawsuit_Njweedman_Response.pdf). Governor Murphy, represented by the Attorney General of New Jersey Gurbir S. Grewal, requested the dismissal claiming in defense that he has not officially signed the state's pending Regulated Cannabis Act. Peter G. Sheridan, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey has elected to hear oral arguments on February 17, 2021.

Forchion has accused the state of baiting New Jersey citizens into voting for the legalization of a corporate, Caucasian run cannabis industry, under the guise of legalizing marijuana. Forchion notes that under the current developing legislation, marijuana would still be illegal and in fact, criminalized, in underserved communities. Boldly fighting for inclusion and equality for marginalized vendors who are being excluded in the legalization marketplace, Forchion's arguments champion what he defines as the "existing underground marketeers that currently provide 90% of the marijuana consumed in the state."

"I'm demanding small businesses like myself, which ironically are the backs the current industry is built upon, be granted concessions that are due to us based on the well documented history of our marijuana related prosecution across this country. Now, corporations and state politicians are attempting to write us out of this multibillion-dollar industry, and my lawsuit documents and challenges the complicity of these efforts," expresses Forchion. "Considering that Governor Murphy has not yet signed the Regulated Cannabis Act that I am contesting, will he further delay signing it while this case proceeds? And if so, where does that leave the thousands of citizens who voted for legalization?"

Forchion, a cannabis cult figure, has rallied for fair representation and legalization for over three decades now. In 2016, his lawyer, Attorney Saykanic, filed Forchion's case challenging the state of New Jersey before the United States Supreme Court regarding pertinent issues pertaining to reefer, racial discrimination and religion.

"I have always believed in Forchion's legal battles. Since his first arrest in 1997 to his current Citizen Dispensary located across the street for Trenton City Hall, Forchion has never backed down from the systemic racial discrepancies inherit in the structuring of the cannabis legalization industry. This lawsuit may redefine how legalization will ultimately play out in New Jersey. Forchion is controversial yes, but his insight, arguments, and academic understanding of the languaging of law are proving to stand the test of time. Many of us are just now beginning to fully realize the impact of concerns he has espoused for decades now," notes Attorney Saykanic.

In his lawsuit, filed in November 2020, Forchion sought to have the "Court declare unconstitutional and invalid the application and implementation of the 'Constitutional Amendment to Legalize Marijuana.'" Forchion asserted that the Regulated Cannabis Act, as the amendment is referred to in the lawsuit, "deprives him of equal protection and due process under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution as it subjects him to selective prosecution."

Forchion also noted that the state unfairly allows Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act (CUMMA) dispensaries to possess large amounts of marijuana in violation of federal law while prosecuting individuals such as himself. Forchion has had numerous marijuana related prosecutions brought against him by the State of New Jersey, including a pending matter.

Forchion further proposed that voters were duped into believing that they were voting to legalize marijuana, while unwittingly sanctioning a cannabis industry which only grants legalization to a majority of Caucasian owned corporate entities while criminalizing many individuals of color, who in effect will not be granted similar access to grow, sale and distribute. Comparing the pending legislation to the 1990's cocaine vs. crack dilemma, Forchion cites how the State is subtly creating a distinction between illegal "marijuana" supplied by vendors like him, versus state 'regulated cannabis' sold by majority Caucasian owned and operated corporations.

New Jersey's cannabis legislature has come under increasingly mounting criticism with the state publicly criticized for attempting to push through a corporatized cannabis culture with not enough regard for the constituents that voted it through. The state seemingly hangs in yet further limbo as the Governor may now delay full legislative passage per Forchion's unprecedented filing. News of longtime New Jersey resident, Rohan Marley, and son of reggae legend Bob Marley, entering the market with his Lightshade retail site offers inspiring signs of hope, however.

In the past, Forchion has been vehemently retaliated against by the State of New Jersey. In 2002, he was jailed for advocating the legalization of marijuana. Forchion was held at the Burlington County Jail for over five months when United States District Court Federal Judge Joseph E. Irenas, U.S.D.J., hearing his civil rights suit, agreed that the state had violated Forchion's First Amendment right to advocate marijuana's legalization and ordered him to be released.

In 2016, Forchion and his partner, Debi Madaio, had their restaurant, NJWeedman's Joint, raided by Mercer County law enforcement authorities on marijuana dealing charges. Forchion was held without bail for 447 days due to the retaliatory charge of witness tampering. He was acquitted by a jury and all charges were dismissed with no convictions.

Media, legislature, politicians and cannabis activists and supporters worldwide are taking close heed of this case as it maneuvers the smoky realms of legalization. Find out more about Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion at https://linktr.ee/NJWeedman .

MEDIA CONTACT
Makeda Smith
Jazzmyne Public Relations
makeda@jazzmynepr.com
323-380-8819

PHOTO LINK for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/21-0203s2p-nj-weedman-300dpi.jpg

CAPTION: Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion (first image) is fighting for inclusion and equality for marginalized vendors who are being excluded in the cannabis legalization marketplace. Forchion champions for the existing underground suppliers that currently provide 90% of the marijuana consumed in his state. Second image, left to right: Governor Phil Murphy; Senator Nicholas P. Scutari; Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion, the 'elephant in the room'; Scott Rudder, former Republican state legislator; and Senator Stephen M. Sweeney. Graphic art by Clemente "Sketch" Aused Jr./ @pleaseb_thechange

Veteran marijuana activist Ed "NJWeedman" Forchion put New Jersey under the cannabis microscope late last year when he challenged the state's newly passed marijuana legalization laws with a lawsuit directed at Governor Phil Murphy (Case 3:20-cv-16582-PGS-TJB FORCHION v. MURPHY).

Related link: https://www.facebook.com/NJWEEDMAN

Cannabis Activist Ed Forchion Challenges New Jersey on Race, Reefer and Religion Before the U.S. Supreme Court

TRENTON, N.J., April 5, 2016 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- In perhaps one of the boldest moves in the recent history of marijuana activism, long time cannabis advocate and Trentonian newspaper columnist, Ed Forchion aka NJWeedman, and his lawyers, New Jersey attorneys Allan Marain, Esq. and John Vincent Saykanic, Esq., are challenging the state of New Jersey before the United States Supreme Court regarding pertinent issues pertaining to reefer, racial discrimination and religion.

Forchion's legal team filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court (US Supreme Court Docket - 15-8533) on March 8, 2016, presenting ten questions for review and response from the Court.

Per the subject of race and religion, as it relates to cannabis, the filing marks a landmark stance in the marijuana movement. Forchion considers the petition a direct challenge to recently revealed comments by former Nixon domestic policy chief, John Ehrlichman, that the war on drugs was a political assault against blacks and hippies. (http://tinyurl.com/http-www-cnn-com-2016-03-23 )

The document leads with its most powerful query, directly asking the presiding judges, "Are New Jersey's drug laws inherently discriminatory against African Americans and discriminatory as applied by law enforcement?"

In addition, the other questions presented to the Court include:

2. Has New Jersey decided an important federal question in a way that conflicts with other state courts of last resort as petitioner was precluded from arguing to the jury by way of nullification that marijuana should not be a substance proscribed by New Jersey as part of his defense at trial?

3. Is a state court of last resort in hopeless conflict with the United States Court of Appeals concerning First Amendment Free Exercise Clause as it relates to the right to use marijuana as a religious sacrament?

4. Does New Jersey's criminalization of marijuana deprive Rastafarians of their sacramental use of cannabis in violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act?

Read the full filing here: http://goo.gl/TKyvVl .

"Twenty-three states and the nation's capital, Washington D.C. have legalized the use of cannabis in some form or fashion," cites Attorney John Vincent Saykanic. "But we still have an uphill battle to go. While marijuana has received more mainstream recognition and acceptance over the years, and has now evolved into a multi-million dollar legal industry in some parts of the country, a disproportionate number of people of color are sadly sitting in jail cells serving quite frankly, ridiculous and unfair sentences. I have worked tirelessly with Forchion over the years because I believe his legal battles serve the greater interest of many. This U.S. Supreme Court filing is perhaps one of our loudest legal statements yet."

"I've always known the marijuana laws are racist and I've always thought of marijuana legalization as a civil rights issue," expresses Forchion. "States throughout the South began implementing drug laws as part of the explicitly racist Jim Crow system, with Southern lawmakers being quite open about the racist motivations behind the laws. Northern states such as New Jersey stripped offensive racist language from their official legal statements, but their anti-drug policies were hardly less racist."

Forchion is encouraged by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's recent endorsement of jury nullification (see http://goo.gl/YA5zOS ) and further argues that, "all marijuana defendants should be allowed to present these facts to jurors and encourage nullification verdicts."

Forchion's long standing battle for marijuana law reform has been documented for over two decades. Considered by many as the "grandfather of marijuana reform in New Jersey," Forchion is a bone cancer patient who states he needs marijuana for his symptoms.

Amongst his many trials and tribulations, Forchion pleaded guilty in 2000 to charges of conspiracy to distribute and marijuana possession and was released on parole after serving 18 months on a reduced sentence. He was arrested again in Burlington County, N.J., in 2010 on marijuana possession and distribution charges. He has fought those charges. Forchion argued his medical condition gave him a "medical necessity" defense to possess and appealed the decision to the N.J. Supreme Court and now the U.S. Supreme Court.

Forchion achieved Hollywood notoriety when he opened a marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles in 2008, saying it was a temple that used marijuana as part of its religious ceremonies. The California temple was shut down after a federal drug raid in 2011.

Currently Forchion, a Rastafarian, is the owner of his own restaurant, NJWeedman's Joint and spiritual sanctuary, Liberty Bell Temple III, which he opened last year directly across from New Jersey's Trenton City Hall. The restaurant and sanctuary receive not only a steady stream of customers but also international media attention.

Read more about Forchion's stance for marijuana reform in the Trentonian at http://goo.gl/fAkLsU .

VIDEO (YouTube): https://youtu.be/tuAPwXvhbIM .

MEDIA CONTACT:
Makeda Smith
Jazzmyne Public Relations
makeda@jazzmynepr.com
323-380-8819

To view the original version on Send2Press Newswire, visit: https://www.send2press.com/newswire/cannabis-activist-ed-forchion-challenges-new-jersey-on-race-reefer-and-religion-before-the-us-supreme-court-2016-0405-06.shtml.