2001: A Space Odyssey - Monolith Appears In Front Of DEA HQ, 'Anonymous Apes' Seek End To Antiquated Cannabis Policy

A group of activists with DC Marijuana Justice (DCMJ) and friends calling themselves the Anonymous Apes, dressed in ape suits and danced around an eight-foot monolith they built outside DEA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia on Wednesday, calling on the agency to "evolve" its antiquated policies on marijuana and other controlled substances.

Over a boombox, Stanley Kubric’s "2001: A Space Odyssey" could be heard. In the 1968 sci-fi hit, a group of apes comes upon a monolith that accelerates human evolution, which was the groups' message to the DEA: evolve and change your devastating and out-of-sync-with reality drug policies. 

“The Drug Enforcement Administration of the Department of Justice has failed the American people for too long. This monolith of government oppression has imprisoned 10’s of millions of American citizens for seeking healing relief with natural substances,” Anonymous Apes said in a statement.

“The DEA, much like a floppy disc or VHS tape, must innovate to represent current science around plant medicines and end its lopsided enforcement practices, which disproportionately affect people of color. We believe this monolith has arrived to guide us to a better future and joins with us to demand that the DEA be brought to justice.”

The DCMJ, which played a vital role in getting cannabis legalized in Washington, DC in 2014, says it is still seeking rights for cannabis users, growers and their families. The group posted this on its Twitter page as the Anonymous Apes danced in front of the DEA office: The #AnonymousApes are looking for signs of evolution in America’s drug policy under @POTUS, but haven’t found any!

This story was first reported by Marijuana Moment.