MARIJUANA ADVOCATE DENIED NAME CHANGE

TRENTON - Marijuana-legalization advocate Ed Forchion cannot change his
name to njweedman com, an appeals court has ruled.

Forchion maintains he wants to change his name to promote his advocacy for
reform of marijuana laws, not to encourage the sale or use of marijuana, as
the Camden County Prosecutor's Office contends.

The Pemberton Township resident also hoped to use the njweedman com name in
the fall during his third-party campaign to challenge U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton,
R-3rd of Mount Holly.

Forchion's request was denied in March by a Superior Court judge in Camden
County, who ruled Forchion advocates breaking marijuana laws and could use
his name to sell the drug.

The appeals court agreed, saying Forchion advocates law breaking and his
advocacy encourages others to possess and use marijuana.

"He admits, at the very least, to smoking marijuana as well as to
purchasing it for himself, and on a few occasions for others as well," the
three-judge panel wrote in its nine-page decision. "One cannot smoke
marijuana without possessing it, and purchasing for another is a form of
distribution."

Forchion said yesterday he plans to appeal the decision.

"I haven't sold weed in years," Forchion said. "I can't get away from the
fact that I used to. I just want to express my political views by saying
marijuana should be legal."