Legalize Marijuana Party
SpokespersonEd Forchion
Founded1998
IdeologyCannabis legalization
National affiliationLegal Marijuana Now

The Legalize Marijuana Party is a political third party in the U.S. state of New Jersey established in 1998 by Edward Forchion to protest cannabis prohibition.[1][2]

Gubernatorial candidates

Forchion was nominated by petition to run for Governor of New Jersey in 2005. He received 9,137 votes. While Forchion was campaigning for governor, his home in Pemberton Township was vandalized, August 25, during the night by someone who spray-painted a 6-foot cross together with the words “Get Jesus.” Burlington County police investigated the incident, calling it a hate crime because Forchion is a person of color. But Forchion told reporters that he thought he had been targeted because of his Rastafari religious beliefs, not because he is African American.[3]

Results in gubernatorial elections

Year Candidate Popular Votes Percentage
2005Edward Forchion9,1370.4%

New Jersey election results

Results in county elections

Forchion ran for Camden County Freeholder in 1999, and Burlington County Freeholder in 2000. In a bid for Burlington County Freeholder in 2004, Forchion got 2,932 votes.[4][5][6]

Results in New Jersey state elections

Year Office Candidate Popular Votes Percentage
1999NJ General Assembly 8Edward Forchion6591.2%
2011NJ General Assembly 8Edward Forchion1,6531.9%

Results in federal elections

Year Office Candidate Popular Votes Percentage
1998US Representative 1Edward Forchion1,257[7]1.0%
2000US Representative 1Edward Forchion1,959[8]0.9%
2006US SenatorEdward Forchion11,5930.5%
2012US Representative 3Edward Forchion1,956[9]0.6%
2014US Representative 12Don Dezarn1,330[10]0.9%
2016US Representative 12Edward Forchion6,094[11]2.1%

History

In 2014, Forchion, otherwise known as NJ Weedman,[12] filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get onto the ballot in New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. A judge dismissed the lawsuit.[13][14][15][16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Valania, Jonathan (May 29, 2002). "Smokey and the Bandit". Philadelphia Weekly.
  2. ↑ Kindbud, Seymour (2012). "Dr. Kindbud's Weed-O-Pedia: Prime Nuggets of Marijuana Facts and Stoner Trivia". Cider Mill Press. Dare You Stamp Company. ISBN 9781604332681.
  3. ↑ Sheibley, Lauri (August 26, 2005). "Police Investigating an Apparent Hate Crime". Burlington County Times. Marijuana activist Ed Forchion says his family woke up yesterday morning to find someone had spray-painted a 6-foot cross on the side of his house with the words "Get Jesus." Police are investigating the incident as an apparent hate crime. Forchion, who once tried to have his name changed to NJ Weedman, said his wife and children discovered the cross and message at 7 a.m. on the garage door of their Hanover Boulevard home. First Assistant Burlington County Prosecutor Ray Milavsky said police are investigating the incident as a bias crime, which is defined as one in which a victim is targeted because of race, religion, sexual orientation or national origin. Forchion, who is black, said he does not view the cross as a racial threat. Instead, he said he sees it as a protest against his religion. Forchion is a follower of Rastafarianism, a religious movement that arose in Jamaica in the 1950s. Followers use marijuana as a sacrament.
  4. ↑ Couloumbis, Angela (July 9, 1999). "A campaign of marijuana smoking: A Camden County freeholder board candidate inhales and gets himself arrested". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  5. ↑ Holliday, Eileen (October 14, 2000). "Forchion Crusading To Legalize Marijuana". Gloucester County Times.
  6. ↑ "2004 General Election Burlington County Final Results" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. November 30, 2004.
  7. ↑ "Official List Candidate Returns for House of Representatives For November 1998 General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 1, 1998.
  8. ↑ "Official List Candidate Returns for House of Representatives For November 2000 General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. April 17, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Official List Candidate Returns for House of Representatives For November 2012 General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. January 22, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Official List Candidates for House of Representatives 11/4/2014 General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 2, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Official List Candidates for House of Representatives 11/08/2016 General Election" (PDF). Secretary of State of New Jersey. December 6, 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Legalization Of Marijuana- Legalize Marijuana Party". September 25, 2018.
  13. ↑ Cavaliere, Victoria (June 12, 2014). "NJ Democrats try to boot Legalize Marijuana Party candidate off the ballot". Reuters via The Raw Story.
  14. ↑ Davis, Mike (July 29, 2014). "Marijuana activist 'N.J. Weedman' must raise $3,500 if he hopes to appear on Congressional ballot". NJ.com.
  15. ↑ Winger, Richard (July 30, 2014). "New Jersey Independent Congressional Candidate Not Allowed to Pursue Ballot Access Lawsuit Without Paying $3,500 for Transcript". Ballot Access News.
  16. ↑ Shea, Kevin (April 30, 2016). "NJ Weedman's long, strange trip as marijuana advocate". NJ.com.
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