“Include me, or deal with me, but I am not going away” #SELLWEEDLIKEIMWHITE (http://www.njweedman.com/NJ_White_Only_Marijuana_Industry.pdf) ​ ​

Forchion created this meme of Mercer County Prosecutor Onofri after 2016 arrest ​ Ed “NJ Weedman” Forchion is a soft-spoken, charismatic man. Ed earned his celebrity status as a legalization and free speech activist in his home state of and around the country. If you spend any time with him in public the cries of “Hey Weedman” never seem to stop. At his restaurant/sanctuary in Trenton “NJ Weedman’s Joint”, people flock to hang out for an hour or an evening. And, of course, they come to smoke with the Weedman himself. https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/zm5enw/jerseys-weedman-is-the-hero-america-needs

NOMINATED 4 VICE HERO - NJWEEDMAN IS THE HERO AMERICA NEEDS

Under that charismatic exterior is a man on a serious mission. “For as long as I’ve been living, there’s been a war waged on us. A war declared by the government against us”. Ed is declaring that war over and the black market is the winner. He defines the black market as those who have been selling weed and serving the people of New Jersey for years. “That black market is thriving. There is more weed than ever before. The public has accepted it. New Jersey stands on the cusp of legalizing weed, but now that same black market is being excluded. The black market won the war, in all wars the winner divvies up the spoils of war, not the loser. But in this war on weed, now the losers in government are diving up the spoils and handing it to the corporate canna-baggers”.

To that end, Ed is trying to organize the black market Weedmen and Weedwomen of New

Jersey. “If your arrested Don’t take a plea deal, use jury nullification, that is how we win.

SB-2703 was a POLITICAL scheme to steal legalization from the people and hand it to

CORPORATIONs. Senator Scutari has been bribed by the corporate canna-baggers to exclude anyone who operated in the black market”. Ed has started the hashtags #SellWeedLikeImWhite and #NJCantGet12 as way to connect with and organize other black market sellers and force social change thru the courts and the public's rejection of the current marijuana laws.

To me these hashtags are modern ways to communicate civil disobedience with millions, imagine if 60 years ago ROSA PARKS had a hashtag - #SitatfrontofBuslikeimwhite, or ​ ​ ​ ​ MARTIN LUTHER KING, Jr and the Freedom riders having #Sitatthecounterlikeimwhite. ​ ​ These were both resistance campaigns protesting inequality, my hashtag

#SellWeedLikeImWhite is no different I’m protesting the inequality of the new age marijuana ​ industry in Jersey with this hashtag...to those who say its racist I say open your eyes.

Currently since 2010’s enactment of C.U.M.M.A. (Compassionate Use of Medical Marijuana

Act) only 6 wealthy caucasians are allowed to possess, grow and sell “MEDICAL” marijuana legally in NJ with the protection of the NJ state Government from federal prosecution, even thou its 100% Federally illegal. To the rest of us it is still a schedule 1 controlled dangerous substance, and over 135,000 new jerseyans have been arrested/prosecuted under New Jersey statute 2c:35-10 which denies medical use, thus illegal. ( Yeah - really)

Under the proposed legislation- sb2703, the legal weed industry in New Jersey would only be for a select few wealthy white individuals. Weedman calls them “The Caucasian Cannabis

Corporations”. Those arrested and ruined under the racist prohibition that existed for decades will still be victimized. Sb2703 would solidify that racism of the past into future legalization.

Never fear though, Ed had a solution. “I am going to sell weed like a white guy, let them try to convict me” thus the hashtag - #NJcantget12. You heard that right, Ed plans to shine a spotlight ​ ​ on what was once done in the shadows. He plans to protest the inequity and racism in the system by openly selling weed. “The prosecutors don’t know what to do with me, think about it. They can arrest me anytime they want and try to get 12, which they won’t, or they can ignore me, and

I will keep doing it” being an example to the thousands of other black-market cannabis providers being excluded from legalization.

REASON TV - after 2012 acquittal What Ed is referring to here is a process called jury nullification. “I have been talking about jury nullification for as long as I have been talking about marijuana legalization. I could just have easily been known as the “Jury Nullification Man”. I’ve beat the Government before using Jury ​ Nullification. Ed is once again challenging the State to arrest him and try to convince 12 jurors ​ that he is doing something wrong when a white guy in a thousand-dollar suit is doing the same thing down the street on a much larger scale. “Just prosecuting me will just prove everything I am saying is right” He has every reason to be optimistic, since he beat a previous distribution charge using a similar defense. On June 6th 2018 Mr Onofri's Office dismissed the charges ​ from Forchion April 2016 arrests. “The prosecutor's office said the decision to not move ​ ​ ​ forward in prosecuting Forchion came after considering the shift in climate of marijuana legislation in New Jersey. "They're about 10 years too late," Forchion said of a change in public opinion of marijuana.

He adds “They can include me or deal with me, but I am not going away”. Ed was featured in

2010 film “How Weed Won The West” but he believes the way that “WE Will Win The East” is through jury nullification.

Weedman plans don’t stop at simply selling weed. He is also running for office in NJ’s 15th ​ legislative district. His party affiliation is the “Legalize ” (what else). This isn’t just a stunt though. He has some serious plans. If he is elected, he has plans to introduce a comprehensive and justice-based legalization bill and a question for the general election ballot.

He is currently working with advisors to draft those bits of legislation. His bill would include: THE of all pot-prisoners (to include probation & parole), home grow, employee job protections, automatic expungements for all amounts of marijuana, and a way for small mom and pop neighborhood dispensaries to open. His bill would essentially “legalize the black market and legalize those who are currently distributing marijuana in the state of NJ right now”

The politicians seem to have given up on sb2703 and are instead opting for a 2020 general election question to the public, Forchion insists that question MUST ask the public:

● The immediate release of all pot prisoners, (prisoners, probationers and parolees as well.

● to legalize for all adults over 21 the right to POSSESS any amount of marijuana,

● sell/barter/trade any amount of marijuana

● and expungement of all past marijuana or related charges.

His vision for a equitable system is a tiered licensing system. A 500-dollar license for the general public can get you one level of permit, 5000 dollars could provide you a higher tier up to

100,000 dollars in sales anything more would be a totally separate corporate bill to be enacted after the general public bill. This would set up a fair system that includes everyone. A fair system would compensate those who have put in decades of labor making this happen - FIRST.. It must include the victims of the drug war, who have gone to prison and had their lives impacted by almost a century of racist .

He announced from the state house floor he was going to sell weed like he was white, a few ​ ​ days later he sold weed in front of the Governors Office and on March 21st he announced from ​ ​ ​ in front of the state house he was selling weed like he’s white - So far the state has declined to arrest him and give him the trial he wants.

With a smile, Ed looks forward to the day WHEN he gets arrested, “I virtually dare the Mercer

County Prosecutor’s Office to get their asses legally whooped a 3rd time, as I run for state assembly and sell weed like i'm white and i'm not”. I look forward to the MOCKERY of A

TRIAL, and the clear image this will present to the world…..(legalization is just as racist as prohibition).