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Longtime New Jersey cannabis activist Ed Forchion, aka NJWeedman, announced recently that he’s hitting the road for the filming of “Roadamentary,” a documentary accounting his journey, driving across the states, from California back to New Jersey, in his infamous Weedmobil.
He will be relying on donations from potheads and weed sympathizers to fuel the journey.
The NJWeedman seeks to promote jury nullification. I bet he will get some interesting video! I wonder how many times he’ll get stopped by flashing lights in his attention-getting vehicle….
The road trip may be his last hurrah, though. Because, on April 10th, he will go on trial in New Jersey on drug charges, stemming from an arrest in April 2010 when cops found a pound of marijuana in the trunk of his car.
NJWeedman faces more than a decade in prison if convicted on the charges.
The road trip is his last effort to mobilize support for his cause and raise awareness for jury nullification, a tactic he plans to employ in an effort to win his case. According to Wikipedia, it is a constitutional doctrine allowing juries to acquit criminal defendants who are technically guilty, but who do not deserve punishment. It occurs in a trial when a jury reaches a verdict contrary to the judge’s instructions as to the law.
It’s Weedman’s second bid to bring the issue of jury nullification to the forefront of the judicial system. He previously faced up to 30 years in prison, back in 1997, when he was arrested and charged with conspiracy and possession of over 40 pounds of marijuana with intent to distribute.
He was eventually found guilty and released after 17 months, but was forbidden from “promoting the use of marijuana” as a parole condition. When he broke his parol, via an interview with local newspapers, he was sent back to prison … but the decision was later overturned and he was released.
During his case, NJWeedman acted as his own defense counsel, with a defense of religion, medical and open advocation of jury nullification. He envisions his upcoming case as another opportunity to bring jury nullification back to the forefront.
A native of New Jersey, Forchion relocated to Hollywood, California several years ago to take advantage of the more relaxed medical marijuana laws, opening his own shop, the Liberty Bell Temple. This past December however, Forchion’s temple/ dispensary was raided and shut down by the DEA.
Although the seizure of his assets left him down, Weedman says he’s not out … and hopes other marijuana supporters will help him get by.
“The Feds got me for everything. But my spirit is not broken,” he said in a statement. “I’m looking to get by with a little help from my friends. Marijuana is no longer the gateway drug it was once perceived to be. Smoking has become mainstream now. And I know there are enough smokers out there to get me across the states and back to New Jersey. If everyone who smoked weed donated just $4.20 to my cause even, we’d have enough gas to make it across the New Jersey state line.”
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Attribution: BallerStatus.com
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William M. Windsor
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