More than 300 students at the University of Maryland (UMD) gathered earlier this month to prove their independence from the state's marijuana laws at the annual "UMD Smoke-in."

Organized by Campus Hedonists Against Organized Society (CHAOS), the afternoon-long celebration of "the mellow way of life," as one participant put it, included the free distribution of joints from the steps of the main university library.

"Thirteen states have decriminalization now. I don't see why Maryland shouldn't be one, too," said student Gregory Markowitz.

"If marijuana is bad, it's because something else is wrong," said another student. UMD Diamondback