WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the 4/20 marijuana celebrations (all times local):

12:35 p.m.

Seven pro-pot activists have been arrested by U.S. Capitol police while handing out free joints to congressional staffers and people who work on Capitol Hill.

The demonstration Thursday was intended as a protest against federal interference with states that have legal pot.

Possession of up to 2 ounces of pot is legal in the District of Columbia, and the demonstration was held on city land rather than federal property in an attempt to comply with the law.

But in a statement, police say they invoked federal law in making the arrests.

Police say a man and two women were charged with possession with intent to distribute, while four women were charged with simple possession.

One of the organizers, Nicholas Schiller, says police “decided to play politics” with the demonstration.

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10:50 a.m.

Colorado lawmakers have rejected a last-minute proposal to ban marijuana churches where users can congregate inside and smoke pot.

The House vote came Thursday on the 4/20 holiday after it debated whether to try stamping out attempts to use religious freedoms to open places where marijuana users can gather.

Opponents from both parties said telling churches how to worship is a “slippery slope.”

The International Church of Cannabis was set to open Thursday in a century-old building in a tony Denver neighborhood.

The former Mount Calvary Apostolic Church has traditional church features outside and psychedelic paintings inside.

It’s illegal in Colorado to consume marijuana indoors in places considered public.

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10:10 a.m.

From Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to Hippie Hill in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, marijuana enthusiasts are observing their 4/20 holiday with public smoke-outs, parties and, yes, great deals on weed.

The annual celebration of cannabis culture is providing activists an opportunity to reflect on how far they’ve come, with the recreational use of marijuana legal now in eight states and the nation’s capital — but also on the national political tone, with Trump administration officials reprising talking points from the heyday of the war on drugs.

Advocates planned to hand out free joints to Congressional staffers Thursday afternoon. In California, which voted to legalize marijuana last fall, tens of thousands were expected at events ranging from marijuana cooking classes to the annual bacchanal in Golden Gate Park.

Pot shops in some legal marijuana states are offering discounts.