Marijuana Activists Arrested After Toking Up Outside U.S. Capitol

A group of marijuana activists conducted a "smoke-in" demonstration outside the U.S. Capitol on Monday.

A pro cannabis activist holds up a marijuana cigarette
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A pro-cannabis activist holds up a marijuana cigarette during a rally on Capitol Hill on April 24, 2017

A pro cannabis activist holds up a marijuana cigarette

Activists gathered in Washington, D.C.,  on Monday to conduct a “smoke-in” demonstration in support of marijuana legalization. The Associated Press reports the group began smoking weed Monday afternoon outside the U.S. Capitol—a crime participants referred to as an “act of civil disobiendence.”  

Organizers of the demonstration said they were calling for nationwide legalization and less federal interference for states where smoking weed is legal.

Nikolas Schiller, co-founder of D.C. Marijuana Justice, told the AP that four protestors—two men and two women—were arrested shortly after the demonstration began. Capitol Police spokesperson Eva Malecki said the individuals were charged with possession. Among those arrested was Adam Eidinger, the other DCMJ co-founder, who was also taken in by police during a 4/20 demonstration last week.

On Thursday, the group organized an event called “joint session,” in which they attempted to hand out weed to anyone with a valid Congressional ID. Shortly after they began distributing joints, Capitol Police arrived and began arresting the activists. 

Eidinger said he was not expecting to get arrested because the D.C. government allows possession in small quantities; however, according to CNN, Capitol Police made the arrests under federal law, which prohibits possession in any quantities.

"We believe that the US Capitol Police made politically motivated arrests,” Schiller told CNN on Thursday.  

It is not known if the individuals who were arrested Monday have consulted attorneys.

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