The notorious underground legacy operator and advocate Ed “NJ Weedman” Forchion was recently in a severe motorcycle crash while he has struggled with red tape to go legit.
NJ Weedman was hit on Saturday. He told Heady NJ he has broken bones in his back and ribs.
“I coulda been dead so I’m happy,” NJ Weedman said.
The broken ribs make it difficult to talk.
He filmed the aftermath and posted it on Facebook.
“It happened around the shop,” NJ Weedman noted.
He explained it was good weather to go riding.
NJ Weedman said the other driver was at fault.
“All of a sudden, he pulls off. He tried to beat me through the intersection,” he added.
NJ Weedman Injured
“I hit the truck right behind the back wheel,” NJ Weedman explained.
“I wasn’t speeding. If he sat for 5 more seconds, I would have been past him,” Forchion argued.
He said he is healing slowly but surely. It will be at least 8 weeks to 3 months to be closer to normal.
“Hopefully, I won’t have long-lasting back problems. I already had a bad back from something that happened 30 years ago,” NJ Weedman explained. “I won’t pick up nothing heavy.”
He noted he’s wearing a back brace and has taken a few steps for a minute so far. Fochion is being cared for by Capital Hospital in Trenton. He is hoping to leave the hospital this weekend.
“I’m so happy he had good commercial insurance. I’m glad it’s not a bum with no money. He was driving a company truck. They have good insurance. I’ll get a check one day with a bunch of zeroes on it. That’s two, three years I get that check,” he explained.
NJ Weedman Family Business Issues
NJ Weedman explained that the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) won’t allow his daughter Chanel to hold a cultivation license as Forchion Farms while he has a dispensary license.
He noted it’s been going on for a year. NJ Weedman said they asked for a waiver and it was denied by the NJ-CRC in a 4-1 vote last December 2024.
His lawyer spoke at their meeting in February on the issue too.
They said it’s against the law.
NJ Weedman noted they both have conditional licenses from the NJ-CRC and were trying to convert them to the annual licenses needed to open.
“Why would you let us go this far? When she got her conditional license, we went out and bought a building,” he noted.
“If me and my daughter both wanted a septic system company slinging shit every day, we could do it,” NJ Weedman argued. “We both can’t sling cannabis.”
“I really thought (NJ-CRC Chair) Dianna (Houenou) was not designing this to stop little guys from having their family members in,” he explained. “It was designed to stop the Gambinos, some mobster family … or some corporations.”
NJ Weedman said if one of them dropped their application, the other could succeed. So, he is planning to sue the State.
In Limbo After Going All In
Forchion noted he bought the NJWeedman’s Joint restaurant and club building, the one next to it to make a legal dispensary and one for the growing operation.
He said their grow operation in Trenton cost $400,000 and has been set up fully. They have spent $1 million overall.
“I am the face of the black market,” NJ Weedman declared. “But now I’m locked out.”
He noted it took two years to get approved by the Trenton City Council. While they were also delayed when the City Planning Director needed to be replaced, that is no longer an issue.
“I made a lot of enemies at some point. I don’t know if it’s that,” NJ Weedman admitted. I’m stuck in limbo.”
“She’s kinda got disillusioned with it. She went back to doing hair,” he noted about his daughter.
“I’ve been on this path for 30 years. I can’t just cut it off. I’m still fighting, just a different way,” NJ Weedman said.
He feels justified in his initial opposition to the CREAMMA adult-use cannabis legalization law.
New Jersey Legislative Cannabis Issues and NJ Weedman
NJ Weedman happily noted that Senate President Nick Scutari (D-22-Union) introduced a bill recently that includes addressing the family business issues. However, he did not like Scutari’s other recently introduced bill re-criminalizing underground legacy weed.
“It’s an asinine bill, “NJ Weedman exclaimed. “He ain’t gonna get the juries to agree with that.
“I said I wasn’t going to stop selling weed,” he declared. “In the meantime, I was trying to go legal. Now I’m a sitting duck now.”
“I’m not daring the cops to arrest me anymore. But I would still win,” NJWeedman argued.
He noted he got a reality show on Tubi that recently debuted.
