Forchion has accused the state of baiting New Jersey citizens into voting for the legalization of a corporate, Caucasian run cannabis industry, under the guise of legalizing marijuana. Forchion notes that under the current developing legislation, marijuana would still be illegal and in fact, criminalized, in underserved communities. Boldly fighting for inclusion and equality for marginalized vendors who are being excluded in the legalization marketplace, Forchion’s arguments champion what he defines as the “existing underground marketeers that currently provide 90% of the marijuana consumed in the state.”“I’m demanding small businesses like myself, which ironically are the backs the current industry is built upon, be granted concessions that are due to us based on the well documented history of our marijuana related prosecution across this country. Now, corporations and state politicians are attempting to write us out of this multibillion-dollar industry, and my lawsuit documents and challenges the complicity of these efforts,” expresses Forchion. “Considering that Governor Murphy has not yet signed the Regulated Cannabis Act that I am contesting, will he further delay signing it while this case proceeds? And if so, where does that leave the thousands of citizens who voted for legalization?”
Forchion, a cannabis cult figure, has rallied for fair representation and legalization for over three decades now. In 2016, his lawyer, Attorney Saykanic, filed Forchion’s case challenging the state of New Jersey before the United States Supreme Court regarding pertinent issues pertaining to reefer, racial discrimination and religion.
“I have always believed in Forchion’s legal battles. Since his first arrest in 1997 to his current Citizen Dispensary located across the street for Trenton City Hall, Forchion has never backed down from the systemic racial discrepancies inherit in the structuring of the cannabis legalization industry. This lawsuit may redefine how legalization will ultimately play out in New Jersey. Forchion is controversial yes, but his insight, arguments, and academic understanding of the languaging of law are proving to stand the test of time. Many of us are just now beginning to fully realize the impact of concerns he has espoused for decades now,” notes Attorney Saykanic.