New Jersey marijuana activist ‘NJWeedman’ accused of attacking man with fire extinguisher in Florida

Ed Forchion, the popular New Jersey marijuana activist known as NJWeedman, is free on a bond after allegedly hitting a man twice in the head with a fire extinguisher during an altercation outside a nightclub last month in Florida.

The 59-year-old Forchion was arrested Tuesday and appeared the following day before a judge in Miami-Dade County, who ruled that there was no evidence supporting the most serious criminal charges, including attempted felony murder. He was released on $2,500 bond, according to online court records in Florida.

Forchion could not be reached for comment Saturday, but he wrote on Facebook that the prosecutor “asked for me to be detained without bail which is mandatory with a charge like this. I was looking at a year or so in jail before a trial.”

» READ MORE: 'NJWeedman' Ed Forchion expands from Trenton to Miami

Michael Mirer, Forchion’s lawyer, said the judge was shown video of the altercation and released Forchion.

“She specifically found there was no probable cause for his arrest on attempted felony murder and burglary with a battery and released him outright on those counts,” Mirer said.

The Florida State Attorney’s Office will soon make a final determination on whether the charges should be formally dropped, Mirer said. Forchion also faces a misdemeanor charge.

Mirer said the video shows that Forchion was acting in self-defense, and Mirer accused the police of performing an incomplete investigation before arresting Forchion.

According to the police report posted online by the Trentonian, the accuser, who was a former employee at the Joint of Miami, told police he was outside the venue because two friends wanted to go inside.

Forchion allegedly came outside with a fire extinguisher and sprayed the accuser, who fled into a car. Forchion allegedly sprayed the inside of the car and the accuser exited the vehicle. Then Forchion allegedly struck him in the head twice with the fire extinguisher, according to the police report.

Police said the man had sustained a “deep laceration” to his scalp and was bleeding heavily from the wound. Police said they found fire extinguisher residue on the car and droplets of blood on the street.

Mirer said the accuser had been fired from the nightclub, allegedly committed vandalism there previously, and was not welcome back, but he and his two friends tried to force their way in the night of the altercation.

Forchion’s accuser told the Trentonian that he was not fired, but that he quit in late 2023 after eight years because the club was not paying its employees. The accuser described Forchion as if he was the owner of the club. Forchion’s son has been previously described as the owner or CEO of the club.

Forchion provided video of the matter to the Trentonian. Mirer said the newspaper’s description of the video was accurate.

The Trentonian said the video shows Forchion spraying several people with a fire extinguisher. The former employee gets into the back of a car. Forchion and a security guard are seen talking to the former employee’s two friends.

The security guard gets Forchion back inside the club and attempts to close the door when one of the friends reaches in and grabs Forchion’s hand, according to The trentonian’s account. Forchion talks to the man while the security guard tries to get Forchion back inside.

“At this point, the former employee is seen leaving the car and running toward Forchion. Forchion turns and swings the fire extinguisher at him several times, knocking him to the ground,” the Trentonian reported.

Mirer added that the former employee is shown hitting Forchion from the side as he ran at him.

Mirer said the police apparently did not watch the video and “jumped the gun and arrested” Forchion.

Forchion’s next court appearance is expected in April, Mirer said.

Forchion began actively protesting marijuana laws in Trenton after spending 17 months in prison in the late 1990s. Over the years, he has had various run-ins with the law in New Jersey, mainly in connection with marijuana. He has run for political office several times as a marijuana activist, including for governor of New Jersey. This year, he has appeared as a candidate for president of the United States.

Staff writer Mike Newall contributed to this article.