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Edward Forchion
{{orphan|date=November 2007}}

[[Image:Njweedman wants you2.gif|right|150px|thumb]]
'''Robert Edward Forchion''' (b. [[July 23]], [[1964]]), also known as '''NJWEEDMAN''', is an [[African-American]] [[cannabis]] activist and a perennial candidate for various [[New Jersey]] elected offices.  Most recently, Forchion ran for [[Governor]] of New Jersey in 2005, losing to Democratic candidate [[Jon Corzine]]. Forchion identifies himself as a member of the [[US Marijuana Party]] and campaigns primarily on the single issue of [[cannabis]] legalization.  Forchion has done 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.

Forchion is a resident of [[Browns Mills, New Jersey]], a section of [[Pemberton Township, New Jersey]].<ref>Genzlinger, Neil. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B05EED81E3CF935A25756C0A9629C8B63 "JERSEY; Dear Graduates: Wake Up, and Thanks for Stopping By"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[May 16]], [[2004]]. Accessed [[December 11]], [[2007]]. "I know that your first choice for a speaker today was Edward Forchion Jr., the Brown Mills marijuana advocate whose request to have his name legally changed to NJWeedman.com was rejected by an appeals court the other day."</ref>⏎
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==Life before politics and activism==
At the age of 15, Forchion smoked his first marijuana cigarette and was "immediately impressed by its medical healing powers, in regard to  his asthma."[http://www.njweedman.com/bio_ed_forchion.html] By age 18 he was a regular user of marijuana, and he dismissed the [[Surgeon General of the United States|Surgeon General]] claims of it's harms as "propaganda and Christian Superstitions".   

In 1982 upon graduation from [[Edgewood SeniorRegional High School]], in [[Atco, N.J.ew Jersey]], he enlisted in the [[New Jersey National Guard]] and enrolled at [[Claflin University|Claflin College, ]], [[Orangeburg, S.C.outh Carolina]]. In [[1986]] he received an [[Military discharge#Honorable|honorable discharge]] from the NJ National Guard and enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps]] 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|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]].

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 suppliers in Arizonia were the first to dub him Jersey Weedman, because while other drugs were available for transport he only wanted to transport cannabis.

On [[November 24]], [[1997]] he was arrested by the Camden County Drug Task Force and members of the local DEA - On Dec.1st, 2000 after a very public trial, Forchion accepted a plea deal and was convicted and sentenced to 10 years by Judge Ronald Thompson. He was released after 17 months on [[April 3]], [[2002]] into the state's ISP. (Intensive Supervision Program). (contracted; show full)

Forchion’s website also notes that he was jailed from August 19. 2002 through January 25, 2003.  He alleges this was due to him demanding an end to the war on drugs.


==References==
{{Reflist}}⏎
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==External links==
*[http://www.njweedman.com Home page of NJWEEDMAN]
*[http://www.state.nj.us/lps/elections/electionshome.html New Jersey Division of Elections]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forchion, Edward}}
[[Category:New Jersey politicians]]
[[Category:People from Burlington County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Camden County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Cannabis activists]]
[[Category:Rastafarians]]