ADVOCATE OF LEGALIZING MARIJUANA SUES COMCAST

R. Edward Forchion Jr., a marijuana legalization advocate who goes by the
nickname Weedman, has sued the area's largest cable TV provider, claiming it
censored his ads and libeled him in the media.

Forchion said he had a contract with Comcast Corp. to broadcast "political
issue ads" last summer. But the company yanked the ads from its lineup and
told members of the media that Forchion was proposing the illegal use of
drugs, the Browns Mills man claims in a federal lawsuit filed last week.

The contract covered 260 TV spots at a total cost of $5,710.

The ads were similar in content, Forchion said, to those he bought in 1999
and 2000 when seeking election to Congress, the state Assembly and the
Burlington County freeholder board.

A year ago, Forchion was denied an application to have his name changed to
NJWeedman.com.

In his lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court here, Forchion seeks $420,000
as compensation from Comcast.

Comcast officials said Tuesday they could not comment on a matter in
litigation.

The logo for Forchion's Legalize Marijuana Party is a marijuana leaf, and he
said it's not unlike the images or logos of elephants and donkeys used by
the Republican and Democratic parties.

He claims Comcast violated his civil rights by censoring his political
statements, breaching a contract with him and libeling him by referring to
Forchion in published news accounts as someone who promoted illegal drug
use.

Forchion said he no longer uses marijuana and is fighting only to legalize
the drug. He said he has never has encouraged its illegal use by others.

The lawsuit is assigned for trial to U.S. District Judge Joseph Irenas.