Underground legacy to legal cannabis entrepreneur and advocate Ed “NJ Weedman” Forchion was arrested last week after fighting an angry former employee outside the Joint of Miami nightclub in Florida. NJ Weedman told Heady NJ he acted in self-defense.
He is confident all the charges will be dropped.
“When the judge saw the video, the judge said that was self-defense,” he noted.
NJ Weedman was arrested last Tuesday, had court on Wednesday afternoon, and was released Thursday.
Forchion faced charges of attempted murder, battery, and burglary with assault or battery while armed.
“He was a disgruntled employee,” NJ Weedman noted about the individual.
He said he was being edged out after inflating his time sheet for more money. Afterward, he vandalized the club.
“He vandalized the sound system. He vandalized the light system. We had to close. It took us two weeks to fix it,” NJ Weedman explained.
They were closed during Christmas and New Year’s.
Fight at the Joint of Miami Club
Forchion said the guy got fired last December and came back in February 11th with a few friends.
“He came with a shit-eating grin on his face,” he said. “He wouldn’t leave.”
Club Security took them out of the nightclub.
“They wouldn’t leave. So, I stepped outside to tell ‘em to leave,” NJ Weedman noted.
The gang was eager to make a fight of it. Forchion sprayed them with a fire extinguisher.
“He got into the car like he was leaving, and I turned my back,” NJ Weedman added.
The man then tried a sneak attack on Forchion.
“I turned just in time to hit him,” Forchion declared.
The man and his gang then left.
According to 610 WIOD News Radio, “Following his release from Jackson Memorial Hospital, the victim reported his run-in with Forchion to the police.”
“Forchion was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on charges related to the alleged attack, which left the victim with a deep cut on his scalp and significant bleeding.”
Legal Issues for NJ Weedman
“I was able to get a high-dollar lawyer,” NJ Weedman noted. “Had I just been a Regular Joe, I would be in jail right now for attempted murder.”
Initially, he just had a bond hearing. There’s another time for presenting evidence. His lawyer nonetheless persuaded the judge to watch their security camera footage, which depicted the scene.
“She dismissed the charges. I avoided a bullet. I avoided 6 months in jail,” NJ Weedman noted.
Attorney Michael Mirer saw the video early on the morning of the bond hearing and agreed to represent him later that afternoon.
The bond hearing was virtual, and they were able to share the video.
It was a bond hearing, so they weren’t able to clear the other charges. The misdemeanor charges still need to be addressed on April 18th.
While he still faces misdemeanor charges, he feels exonerated.
“In Florida, you can stand your ground. Whether it’s a gun… or whatever. It’s not what’s in your hands. I had no obligation to run. At that point, he was attacking me,” NJ Weedman said.
Stand your ground is a very controversial Florida policy.
“No jury would have found me guilty,” he added.
“I’m a felon. I cannot possess a gun,” NJ Weedman explained.
He noted mere possession would mean he would face years in jail. Hence his use of a fire extinguisher as a weapon this time and in the past.
“I did not plan on hitting anybody with it,” Forchion argued. “(Also) I was concerned for his health. I was hoping I didn’t crack his skull… have any brain injury.”
The club is owned by his son. However, since its establishment he has been spending a lot of time down there.
NJ Weedman’s Joint of Trenton Underground to Legacy to Legal Issues
NJ Weedman is trying to sell part or the whole of his NJ Weedman’s Joint of Trenton company for $10 million.
“There’s interest in me,” he noted. “I look attractive to some of these MSOs (Multi-State Operators).”
NJ Weedman noted he made good money during the pandemic.
Now, he needs $5 to $7 million to build the MSO franchise business he’s interested in. NJ Weedman said he anticipates Florida cannabis adult-use legalization soon and plans to capitalize on it.
“The one with the most zeroes at the end wins. I don’t shy away from that. Why not team up with a White guy? I should be the Colonel Sanders of my brand,” he explained.
NJ Weedman noted he has had trouble getting loans.
“I can’t go to a bank because I’m a weed guy. So why can’t I try to get some of this MSO help that others have?” he asked. “Why can’t I step back? I don’t think I’d be corporate weed. I’d have quality control. I want to commercialize myself. Why not?”
Trenton Red Tape Problems
NJ Weedman noted he has tried to go the full path from underground legacy to legal.
“I’m trying to get out of the black market,” he declared.
While NJ Weedman’s Joint Dispensary has received a Trenton city resolution it does not have planning board approval needed to open.
“I’m still stuck in the Planning Board! Their Planning Board guy quit! I’ve been in limbo for a year and a half!” he exclaimed. “It’s not my fault.”
“Unlike most of the legacy guys I had the money,” NJ Weedman explained.
He has spent thousands of dollars trying to open a legal New Jersey adult-use cannabis dispensary.
“I had to do an impact study,” NJ Weedman noted.
He told Heady NJ he is not interested in investment from a large corporate Curaleaf type of MSO though.
For years NJ Weedman was the biggest critic of MSOs.
He argued many of the small Social Equity license dispensaries have MSO backing.
The nature of deals vary. Some have former senior personnel at one company be a senior person in the new company versus a corporate interest taking several forms. Some are more up-front about it than others.
