A Libertarian candidate for the New Jersey Senate has been arrested for the second time in four months for smoking marijuana during a protest.
Forty-six-year-old state senate candidate Don DeZarn was arrested Saturday at SmokeDown Prohibition, a monthly pro-pot protest near the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
DeZarn tells The Times of Trenton he was committing an act of civil disobedience and will fight the marijuana possession charges in federal court. He says he's standing up for his rights.
“The theme of my campaign is ‘Legalize Freedom.’ I’m big on a less intrusive government,” DeZarn told the paper. “Marijuana legalization ties into the whole message I’m trying to get out to voters, that our government is too big. We’ve got way more important problems we should be dealing with than worrying about a group of 67 people, 10 of which are firing up a joint.”
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.
