Protesters handed out free marijuana joints in Washington, DC on Inauguration Day

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While early estimates suggest fewer supporters turned out for President Donald Trump's inaugural address in Washington, DC, than for President Obama's prior two addresses, a marijuana giveaway drew massive crowds nearby.

The DC Cannabis Coalition, a marijuana legalization advocacy group, handed out between 4,000 and 8,000 joints at a pro-marijuana protest in Dupont Circle hours before the events of Inauguration Day got underway. Lines stretched six or seven blocks outside their stand, with adults over the age of 21 waiting up to an hour for their gift.

People in Dupont Circle could be heard shouting, "When they go low, we get high," a play on former First Lady Michelle Obama's rally cry at the Democratic National Convention last July.

Organizers started handing out joints at 8 a.m. on Friday. They stood inside a homemade jail cell in order to make a statement on the need for legalization.

Protesters planned to light up four minutes and 20 seconds in Trump's inaugural address, which was a nod to a popular marijuana holiday that falls on April 20.

What would a pro-marijuana protest be without a creepy-looking pot leaf mascot?

One in five Americans live in a state with legal access to marijuana, which means they can access the Schedule I drug without a letter of recommendation from a doctor.

Residents in the nation's capital voted overwhelmingly to legalize recreational marijuana in November 2014. The bill took effect almost a year ago, allowing people to possess up to two ounces of pot and "gift" up to one ounce, if neither money nor goods or services are exchanged.

NOW WATCH: This animated map shows where marijuana is legal in the US