title:  Protesters Bring 51-Foot Long Joint To White House Demanding Marijuana Be Rescheduled (VIDEO)
text: On Saturday, pro-marijuana activists held a massive demonstration outside of the White House.The activists called on President Obama to reschedule marijuana down from a Schedule 1 controlled substance. A Schedule 1 controlled substance, marijuana is legally considered to be as dangerous as heroin. That s an especially cruel joke when one takes into consideration that medical marijuana is proving to actually help reduce opiate addiction.One of the most popular tourist destinations in DC is looking, and smelling, more like a reggae concert. pic.twitter.com/b2tbmkQCCm  Alex Mallin (@alex_mallin) April 2, 2016Activists openly smoked marijuana during the protest, in an attempt to show just how little danger smoking marijuana actually is. It is legal to carry up to two ounces of marijuana in Washington D.C., though it is still illegal to smoke in public. It is also illegal to smoke marijuana on federal property. No arrests were made during the demonstration.Protestors brought along with them a 51-foot inflatable joint. However, Secret Service agents told organizers that the protest prop had to go due to security concerns.Secret Service officers currently blocking pro-marijuana protesters from carrying "51-ft joint" in front of WH. pic.twitter.com/cb7E7ag2FW  Alex Mallin (@alex_mallin) April 2, 2016The event was organized by DCMJ, who wrote on their website: While we have been able to drastically reduce arrests for marijuana possession in the District of Columbia, millions of Americans across the United States are not so lucky. As long as cannabis is treated in the same category of drugs as heroin, with no accepted medical use, police will continue to arrest & lockup our brothers and sisters. Marijuana is currently legal in 23 states in some form. Of those 23, marijuana is legal for recreational use in four states and Washington D.C. After legalizing marijuana, those states have seen jaw-dropping amounts of sales tax revenue come in from legalized marijuana.https://www.facebook.com/ajplusenglish/videos/vb.407570359384477/711454438996066/?type=2&theaterHowever, as marijuana is still a Schedule 1 controlled substance, states have proven to be hesitant to legalize the drug unless voters force them to by means of a ballot initiative. This makes the state-by-state approach to marijuana legalization incredibly slow.In 2014, a pot arrest was made once every 45 seconds in the United States. That s nearly 701,000 people who have had their lives shattered for simply having marijuana in their possession.Every day people continue to be arrested for marijuana possession in the war on drugs. A war that is, in reality, nothing more than a war against communities of color and the poor. Featured Image from AJ+ video screenshot via Facebook