NJ Weedman running for State Assembly
TRENTON >> Peaceful pothead Edward “NJ Weedman” Forchion is using his newly regained freedom to run for New Jersey General Assembly in the Nov. 6 election.
“I think I am popular in the city,” Forchion, 54, said Friday inside his newly reopened NJ Weedman’s Joint restaurant across from Trenton City Hall. “I have the best name recognition of the candidates.”
Indeed, Forchion’s name appears on the ballot as an independent candidate running against incumbent Democratic Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, who was appointed to the seat earlier this year by a few hundred Democrats.
Forchion, who called himself “Political Prisoner #420,” sat in jail for 447 days before a trial jury found him not guilty of witness tampering on May 24. He had three additional cases pending in Mercer County Superior Court involving drugs and cyberbullying, but the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office lost interest in prosecuting NJ Weedman and dismissed some of his charges and remanded the remaining counts to Trenton Municipal Court in June.
The jury trial exoneration and prosecutorial reprieve put Forchion in perfect position to gather petition signatures to appear on the Nov. 6 ballot as a candidate for high office. He hopes voters in New Jersey’s 15th Legislative District elect him so that he can draft legislation, he said, to repeal the Criminal Justice Reform Act and “fight for the little guy.”
The district is currently represented by appointed Democratic lawmakers Anthony Verrelli and ReynoldsJackson, but voters in Mercer and Hunterdon counties will rightfully elect two politicians to the Assembly next Tuesday.
Republican challengers Tracy R. Sinatra and Justin Tibbetts hope to defeat the appointed incumbents, but third-party challengers Forchion and former Trenton councilman Alex Bethea also appear on the ballot with a goal to shake up the Statehouse with fresh blood.
Less than 500 Democrats appointed Verrelli and Reynolds-Jackson to high office earlier this year. Verrelli, a former Mercer County freeholder, is serving in the Assembly seat vacated by Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora. Reynolds-Jackson, a former Trenton councilwoman, is serving in the Assembly seat vacated by Liz Muoio, who now serves as state treasurer under Gov. Phil Murphy.
Forchion, a longtime marijuana legalization activist, is running on the campaign slogan “Repeal bail reform” and hopes his name recognition carries him to victory, admitting he has done no formal campaigning.
“I didn’t do any campaigning,” he said. “I didn’t have any money. Most people know the story. I’ve been around 20-something years.”
Forchion reopened his restaurant in August. The facility was temporarily shut down while he fought for his freedom as a detained defendant jailed without bail on witness tampering charges. It took two trials and 14 months for Forchion to win full exoneration in the witness tampering case, successfully defending himself with minimal legal assistance.
Forchion’s East State Street restaurant has generated very little business since reopening. “It’s been a struggle,” he said, “but I am determined to undo the damage that the prosecutor’s office did with their malicious prosecution.”
Forchion has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Trenton and other parties alleging police harassment. He is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.
Calling himself the “perfect person” for elected office, Forchion said he would “be fighting for transparency” and “fighting for the little person” if he wins in Tuesday’s special election. Win or lose, Forchion said he intends to sell marijuana in the open as a sole proprietor competing against big cannabis companies.
The 15th Legislative District comprises the Mercer County municipalities of Ewing, Hopewell Borough, Hopewell Township, Lawrence Township, Pennington, Trenton, West Windsor and the Hunterdon County municipalities of East Amwell, West Amwell and Lambertville.
With six candidates on the ballot between both Assembly seats, the winners of the special election will serve for the remainder of Gusciora’s and Muoio’s two-year terms that expire Jan. 14, 2020.