N.J. State Senate Candidate Arrested At Pot Protest... Again
PHILADELPHIA (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Libertarian candidate for a New Jersey State Senate seat was arrested for the second time in four months this week, for smoking marijuana at a protest.
Don DeZarn, 46, was arrested Saturday in Philadelphia. He had been participating in the SmokeDown Prohibition, a monthly pro-cannabis protest near the Liberty Bell.
DeZarn told The Times of Trenton he was committing an act of civil disobedience and will fight the marijuana possession charges in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.
He told the newspaper the theme of his campaign is "Legalize Freedom," and he supports a less-intrusive government. His believes that marijuana legalization ties into his message that government is too big, the newspaper reported.
He pleaded guilty to the same charge after being arrested at a protest in May and paid a $150 fine.
DeZarn is running against Democratic incumbent Linda Greenstein and Republican former senator Peter Inverso to represent central New Jersey's 14th Senate district. He is on a ticket with other two Libertarians from East Windsor who are hoping to unseat state Assemblymen Dan Benson (D-Hamilton) and Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton), the newspaper reported.
Marijuana was legalized for recreational use last year in Colorado and Washington state. Last week, the Obama administration announced that it would not sure the states to comply with federal law, but reserved the right to do so in the future, CBS News reported.
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