COPS WATCH AS POLITICAL CANDIDATE FIRES UP A BIG DOOBIE.

New Jersey Congressional candidated Edward Forchion stood in front of the
Liberty Bell in downtown Philadelphia last Wednesday with bullhorn in one
hand, a joint in the other and cops staring into his face. Forchion lit the
joint and took a deep hit, sparking a "smoke-out"as others joining his
demonstration for the legalization of marijuana began lighting
various-sized joints themselves, sending streams of the illegal weed's
scent dirfting into the late afternoon sky above the Liberty Bell Pavilion.

While some in the small "smoke-out"crowd of two dozen were there to get
high in defiance of authority, Forchion had another purpose. He
specifically chose the Liberty Bell as a site to arrested in order to take
his legalization campaign into federal court. He wants to use the courts as
aforum to challenge laws banning marijuana, hoping juries will accept his
constitutional arguments and jullify the laws. Forchion, a candidate for
New Jersey's 1st Congressional District seat on the Legalize Marijuana
Party, has three cases currently pending in New Jersey state courts. He is
fighting arrests for smoking in public places, like the state capital
buliding in Trenton and the Burlington County courthouse.

"Politics is the only reason marijuana is illegal in America. Politicains
are afraid to admit they makde a mistake in outlawing it because there is
no proof of the professed dangers," says Forchion.

A former truck driver, Forchion 36, failed in his bid for a dramatic arrest
last week when city and federal police just watched without enforcing the law.

"I believe George W. Bush has smoked marijuana and inhaled," Forchion
proclaimed, referncing President Clinton's infamous statement about his own
personal use. "Bush admits he partied, and that is a code word for smoking.

Although Forchion's position mayn seem kooky on the surface, there is
compelllin yet little-know evidence on his side. For example, Republican
President Richard Nixon appointed a commission to study marijuana, chaired
by former Pennsylvania governor. The 1972 report by Nixon's commision
declared that marijuana does not cause the proclaimed medical and criminal
problelms. Nixon's ignored his commission's recommendation to decrimalize
marijuana and permit its use by adults with similar restictiosn as alcohol.
Forchion admits to "getting high" on occasion but says him main use of
marijuana is medicianl and spiritual. He suffers fro chronic back pain from
a spinal injury and says marijuana helps him more than prescription pain drugs.

A prime example of pot policy politics, Forchion argues, is the refusal of
federal officials to reclassify marijuana under federal Drug Enforecment
Administration regulations. Marijuana is currently on the DEA's Schedule I
with PCP instead of Schedule ll with drugs like cocaine. An administrative
reclassification to lower schedule would permit the medicinal use of
marijuana while still keeping it illegal for recreational use.

A 1975 federal reoprt detailed legitimate medical uses of marijuana, like
relief for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. In 1988, the DEA's
cheif administrative law judge issued a ruling permitting amedicinal use of
marijuana, describing it as "one of the safest therapeuticlall active
substaneces known to man." The DEA's director angirly rejected the
recommendationas "irresponsible." Forchion thinks it is particualy "cruel"
for officials to deny marijuana to persons suffering nedical problems that
can be eased by marijuana. So does Dawn Acero, how suffers severe never
danage and has HIV. "My doctor told me to smoke marijuana because it is
better than prescripiton alternative to a joing. I already take 20 pills a
day," says Acero, who attended Forchio's demonstration. "Marijuana relieves
the pain in my legs and it helps me eat."

Other views expressed at the "smoke-out" included advocary of increased use
of industrial hemp (a botanical cousin of marijuana) for fuel and food, and
decreased enforcement of marijuana laws. "This country is absolutely
ridculous," says suburban high school studend Evan Richmond, who awaits
tril following an arrest for holding a marijuana pipe. "I have 1200 on my
SAT's, I have 3.5 GPA, I play football and base ball. This is nonsense!"

Ed Forchion began his puplic legalisation campaign after a 1997 arrest in
which police found a small amount of pot in his coat pocket during a
traffic stop of his tractor trailer. The marijuana arrest triggered a two
year suspension of his driver's license. The suspension cost him his
livlihood as a truck driver, and the loss of income cost him his house.
Forchion first ran for Congress in 1998. Last year, he made an unsuccesful
bid for the New Jersey Legislature in the 8th District covering parts of
Camden and Burlington counties. He says he garnered 3,000 votes in that
House race. "I ran on a shoestring," Forchion says. "If I had some money, I
could do better." He says supporters from that legislative race have
contributed to his congressioanal bid. These contributions enabled him to
run commercials on MTV and CNN aired in Philadelphia during the Republican
Convention.

"I know my voters don't wathc Philly cable stations, but I wanted to make a
point with people attending the Republican Convention who were wathcing TV
in their hotel rooms. I recived a few emails. Forchion uses the Internet to
spread his legalization message and futher his congressional campaign. "I
opened my latest Web site (http://www.tlmp.org) four months ago and already
have 20,000 hits," he said.

After finshing his joint at the "smoke-out" and failing to provoke arrest,
Forchion admitted that he didn't know how to end his demonstration. He
expected police to haul him away instead of just asking a few questions.

"We stood here, we smoked marijuana and we did not get arrested. I guess we
have a right to requlate our own bodies without governament interference,"
Forchion said, thanking cherring participants. After failing to get
arrested, Forchion took his demonstrators to the Roundhouse where hundres
of other were demanding release of protesters jailed during last Tuesday's
chaotic demonstrations in Center City.