Ed “NJWeedman” Forchion was arrested on Friday night in Wanaque, NJ, a borough in Passaic County, for conspiracy to distribute, possession, and paraphernalia cannabis crime charges.
He was pulled over initially for a traffic ticket since he had a green light over his plate rather than a white light on his “Pot Trooper “SUV.
“I was driving on my way to New York and cut through a little ass road Rt. 511 and I rolled up by this cop,” he exclaimed.
NJWeedman was pulled over by a Sgt Nolan, a man he described as an older guy.
“He made it known he wasn’t down with legalization,” Forchion said. “He sounded like a 1980’s Reagan disciple.”
NJWeedman is no stranger to controversy nor the nuances of the law.
Fighting Cannabis Crime Charges
Unfortunately, he smelled marijuana, which he believed gave him probable cause to search the car. NJWeedman said marijuana is legal, while Nolan argued the Governor still has to sign it to make it legal. Weedman said the referendum made it legal, the Attorney General has said there’s a moratorium on prosecutions, and cops can use their discretion when found in these situations.
“He said, “the law is the law,” NJWeedman recounted. “I’ve met a lot of cops like him. He’s a rarity now.”
Along with a small amount of weed, Nolan found $9,000, which he confiscated. However, he was allowed to keep his car, which is unusual in an asset forfeiture case Forchion noted.
“I got a cash business. I have a legitimate restaurant. It was the 5th of the month. I was going to pay it on the 6th,” Forchion said, arguing the money was from a legitimate source of revenue.
“They Googled me. Then he decides to arrest me,” Forchion exclaimed.
He was charged with the cannabis crime of conspiracy to distribute.
“That little weed was obviously for personal use,” he said.
NJWeedman and the Police
NJWeedman said he had two or three bags of eights of an ounce of cannabis, an empty vape, a full vape, a pen cart, and a grinder, which led to the paraphernalia charge.
“This is the most ridiculous charge I’ve ever had,” Forchion said regarding the trafficking charge.
He was held for five or six hours before the County Prosecutor’s office said to let him go. Due to COVID, they let him go. Otherwise, he likely would have been in jail over the weekend.
Forchion has hired Miles Feinstein and John Saykanic as his lawyers to defend himself against the charges.
“I’m gonna duke it out,” he said regarding the charges. “How can you charge me for something you read in a newspaper article?”
NJWeedman will have court on February 22nd in Wanaque municipal court for the possession charge. He will then have to go to Passaic County court to defend himself against the cannabis crime trafficking charge. NJWeedman was resolved to win the fight against the cannabis crime charges.
“If we’re fighting this for ten years, I’ll fight this for ten years,” he said.
