It was a surreal sight: hundreds of marijuana legalization activists lighting up in front of the White House, filling the air with cannabinoid smoke within shouting distance of the place where Ronald Reagan launched the war on drugs. The protest, rallied by local advocacy group DCMJ this past Saturday, urged President Obama to reschedule — or federally decriminalize — marijuana for recreational use.
The enthusiast shown here declined to give his name, offering instead his employer, Capsterdam University, an Adams Morgan business that teaches enrollees how to grow marijuana.
The hundreds-strong gathering was prepared for mass arrest, but Metro police officers didn’t so much as glance at the protesters when they patrolled through the crowd, drawing cheers. Two protesters were cited for public consumption; they can elect to fight the citation in court, or they can pay the $25 fine.
