THE WEEDMAN LEAVETH

The Weedman is hoping the grass is greener on the other
shore.

Ed Forchion - the deadlocked marijuana-legalization activist possibly
best known for amassing more than 9,000 votes in a $370 gubernatorial
campaign to
forward his so-called "reefer revolution" - has moved from Pemberton to
California.

"I had a whole bunch of things happen to me," Forchion said Tuesday,
just days after he left New Jersey for the Sunshine State. "I had a string
of bad
luck." Forchion, who once tried to change his name to NJWeedman.com, has
often claimed
persecution at the hands of authorities who don't like his pro-marijuana
message. But
Forchion said while repeated clashes with law enforcement have weighed him
down, it
was a family court matter that ultimately prompted him to leave town.

The self-proclaimed Weedman said he recently lost visitation rights
for one of his children. That, coupled with recent problems with his truck
and "a
bunch of bad luck," left Forchion looking very seriously at a job offer to
manage a
facility selling medicinal marijuana in California.

"I would have went earlier. I got offered this before," Forchion said.
"But now I said 'I'm outta here.'"

Forchion claims the visitation decision, as well as a slew of other
legal problems over the years, comes down to his outspokenness. He said
he's been a good
father to his two other children.

"This is the only thing I talk about, legalization," he said. "But
I'm good to my kids. Ask the teachers. My son plays football. My daughter's
involved in
things. Then, on the other hand, I have one daughter I'm just not allowed
to see. It
all just got to me."

Though marijuana is only legal for medicinal purposes in California,
a purchaser only needs a recommendation from a doctor, not a prescription.
While that's
still a hair away from all-out legalization, Forchion didn't anticipate a
future of
activism.

"There's no need. I don't know what to say. I'm happy," he said.
"Last Thursday, I got this job. Eventually, I'll have my family out here.
And I won't be
treated like a criminal just for talking."

Forchion will be back in New Jersey soon enough. He's got a court
date March 23, for charges stemming from a confrontation that occurred
recently Trenton,
when he was distributing pro-legalization flyers.

"I'm going to fly in to deal with that and fly out," Forchion said.
"By summertime, everything should be good."