TRENTON -- Ed "NJ Weedman" Forchion, jailed on witness tampering charges, appeared in court Wednesday and argued for a new detention hearing in hopes of gaining his freedom.

On the back of his orange jail jumpsuit was the phrase, "Political Prisoner."

The judge said he wants to look at a video Forchion made and is now associated with the case before making a decision about the continued jailing of the marijuana advocate.

And Forchion, in a call from the Mercer County jail hours later, said he is closing his downtown Trenton eatery until he's set free.

Last month, Forchion ended a two-week hunger strike behind bars at the urging of Duane "Dog" Chapman -- star of the reality TV show "Dog the Bounty Hunter."

Forchion also said he was disappointed the judge would not make an immediate decision at the hearing.

"It's real disheartening," Forchion said. He said the prosecution continues to use "stall and delay" tactics.

At the motion hearing Wednesday Forchion, who is representing himself in court after a falling out with his attorney, argued that a video he previously posted to social media before his arrest explained he had no intentions of witness tampering.

Forchion had filed an appeal in March which claimed that he was being held behind bars unjustly. That appeal was denied in April.

On Wednesday, Forchion moved to reopen the detention hearing, by presenting material information to Judge Anthony Massi that he said was available to him at the time of discovery, but was not accessed, and laid blame on his then attorney.

"My argument is that I got misrepresented facts from my attorney," Forchion said.

Mercer County Prosecutors said Forchion did have access to discovery, but his then lawyer Edward Heyburn chose not to download the files at the time of his detention hearing in order to expedite the process.

Forchion explained that he and his previous lawyer wanted to make the name of a police confidential informant public knowledge so that he could have an entrapment defense.

"I wanted him to testify, and I wanted him to testify that the police hired him to commit a crime with me," Forchion said.

He later argued that videos he had previously posted to social media, which were presented to the grand jury but not to Judge Peter Warshaw, who ordered him detained, clearly show he had no intentions of trying to get the confidential informant to give false testimony.

"Nothing I said was a threat," Forchion said. He claims that his intent was misrepresented by the prosecution.

Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor John Boyle argued that the marijuana activist's argument doesn't address the main issues of detention, which are public safety and ensuring his appearance in court.

"My objection is that it goes directly to probable cause, it has to be material there in the matter of detention, not that there was a crime," Boyle said.

"This is a search for the truth," Massi said before agreeing to watch one of the social media videos, which are currently under a protective order. Massi said he'd make a decision on reopening the detainment hearing in a few days.

As for Forchion's restaurant - which he renamed Weedbukx in April with a logo that looks a lot like the green circle Starbucks uses - he said his continued jailing has hampered his ability to keep it running.

It will close by the end of the week, but he promised another reopening when he's set free.

Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Find NJ.com on Facebook