The Libertarian candidate for state Senate in New Jersey's 14th District said today that he was arrested for marijuana possession at a legalization rally earlier this month, after lighting up and smoking a joint in public.

Don DeZarn, an East Windsor resident who works at Princeton University, said he was one of five activists arrested on May 18 at Smoke Down Prohibition V, a monthly event hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws at Independence Hall.

Calling the rally and arrest acts of civil disobedience, DeZarn emphasized his support for legalizing marijuana, a chief tenet of his campaign platform.

"I honestly believe that nothing is going to change unless the people in mass stand up, speak out and fight for their rights," DeZarn said today. "They cant just sit back, relax and wait for the government to change things that we think are unjust laws."

DeZarn is expected to face incumbent Sen. Linda Greenstein (D-Plainsboro) and Republican candidate Peter Inverso, the Roma Bank CEO and former 14th district senator, in the November election.

In a profanity-laced three-minute speech to the rally crowd, DeZarn called on marijuana legalization supporters to contact elected officials and become more active in their protests.

"Our country is waging war against us 365 days a year, so we have to fight back the same way if we're going to win," DeZarn said. "We need to send up a cloud of smoke that they can see in Harrisburg, that they can see in Dover, that they can see in Trenton. We need to tell these [expletive] we're not going to take it anymore."

On May 13, DeZarn announced his candidacy for the state Senate seat at a press conference at Veterans Park in Hamilton, while smoking a marijuana joint to highlight his position on legalizing the drug.

In videos posted on YouTube, DeZarn is shown being handcuffed and escorted by law enforcement officers alongside Adam Kokesh, a Libertarian activist and podcast host.

Dozens of videos on YouTube uploaded by Kokesh's supporters allege that DeZarn planted evidence on Kokesh during their arrests, but DeZarn denied the claim and said his name had been cleared.

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Libertarian senate candidate from East Windsor charged with pot possession at Philadelphia legalization rally