TRENTON - About 200 people gathered Saturday near the State House to show support for legalizing marijuana.
Several were openly smoking the drug, but apparently no one was arrested.
The event drew a diverse crowd. Many said they supported legalizing or decriminalizing pot, while others said it should be given only to people with medical conditions that could be eased by it.
The event was led by Ed Forchion, a pro-marijuana activist known as N.J. Weedman. He renewed his calls for lawmakers to legalize the drug, saying it should be treated like alcohol.
New Jersey issued its first standards for edible forms of medical marijuana last week. That could clear the way for the state's three dispensaries to start making and selling the products.
Forchion also praised the efforts of Sen. Cory Booker, who has joined forces with fellow Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky to push a bill that would remove federal prohibitions on medical marijuana in 23 states where it already is legal.
The bill would let doctors at veterans' hospitals prescribe marijuana for medical purposes and let banks provide checking accounts and other financial services to marijuana dispensaries.