After 20 years, longtime N.J. marijuana activist officially changes his name

It was once a nickname, a marketing gimmick that morphed into a battle cry for marijuana freedom in the Garden State, but for 20 years, Ed Forchion failed to change his name to “NJWeedman.com.”

That changed, much to his surprise, on Monday Oct. 17, when a Mercer County judge finally signed off on his petition. Forchion’s website, which he admittedly hasn’t updated much in recent years, is now his legal name.

“Honestly, I just don’t like losing,” Forchion 58, told the Inquirer Thursday. ‘It always bothered me.”

NJWeedman.com, a longtime marijuana legalization activist in New Jersey, branched out to Miami, Fla. in 2021, opening a nightclub and, just recently, embarked on another business venture — Cannabis-themed cruises on the bay there.

“Legal weed is coming here and it doesn’t need my help,” he said when the Inquirer visited him in Miami earlier this year. “I don’t need to be the ‘Florida Weedman.’”

NJWeedman.com began actively protesting marijuana laws in Trenton after spending 17 months in prison in the late 90s. He said he purchased the website in 1998.

“Weedman.com was available but it was $100 and I didn’t have it,” he said.

The quest for the name change began in 2001. NJWeedman.com said law enforcement groups opposed the petition, claiming it would set a bad precedent. He was defeated, then turned away in the state’s appellate court. Weedman tried again in California, where he had moved to open a Rastafarian temple, and was denied in 2011. Domain names, the court argued, don’t last forever.

NJWeedman.com said his latest push for the name change came from a slew of fake social media profiles being opened under his name. As the owner of a marijuana dispensary in Trenton, along with the Miami club, he also wanted to solidify his marketing. He said he petitioned the courts, again, in New Jersey “a couple of months ago.” He wasn’t expecting such a quick decision.

“I was trying to brand myself. I wanted to be the McDonald’s of weed. There are dudes all over making weed brands. Celebrities like Mike Tyson, but I put my blood, sweat and tears into this,” he said. “There were a lot of imposters out there, trying to use my name and image to sell things.”

NJWeedman.com said he expects his close friends and family will still call him “Ed,” but otherwise, he’s leaning hard into the new name.

“Yeah, I’m gonna make my way to motor vehicles and Social Security,” he said. “I might even go down to the VA cause I’m a veteran.”