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First Church Of Cannabis Plans To Test Indiana’s New Religious Freedom Law
For thousands of years, religious people have gathered together in houses of worship to sing songs, celebrate sacred rituals, and lift up prayers to God(s) on high. And on July 1, a new religious group in Indiana intends to do just that — but with a lot more emphasis on the “high” part.
A little more than a month from now, the newly-formed First Church of Cannabis is scheduled to hold its first official gathering, where worshippers plan to test the limits of new religious freedom laws by “filling up” the sanctuary with marijuana smoke while observing a sacrament.[...]
Recreational marijuana is, of course, illegal in Indiana. But Levin believes the service will be allowed under the state’s new version of the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (RFRA), which reaffirmed and arguably expanded existing legal protections for religious groups. The Grand Poohba founded the Church after he heard about the controversial legislation, which sparked a national outcry when it was revealed that it could allow religious groups and individuals the right to discriminate against others — especially LGBT people. Levin also opposed the legislation, but the same day it was signed into the law, the state approved his request to register his Church as a tax-exempt religious institution. [...]
The federal version of RFRA was created in response to a case where Native Americans were denied the right to smoke peyote during a religious ritual, but courts have thus far resisted First Amendment claims from new religious groups that focus primarily on drug use. In 2010, a federal circuit court dismissed the case of United States v. Quaintance, where the Church of Cognizance argued that their consumption of marijuana was authorized under RFRA because they consider cannabis both a deity and a sacrament. The panel of judges ruled the group had failed to prove that their beliefs were “sincerely held” in a religious sense, concluding that their motives were more business-oriented than spiritually-centered.
But that was 2010, before the Supreme Court broadened its interpretation of RFRA to grant craft giant Hobby Lobby the ability to opt out of aspects of the Affordable Care Act. That decision has led to several district courts overturning previous decisions that struck down RFRA defenses, reigniting old debates over the nature of religious liberty. More importantly, even though LGBT rights advocates successfully lobbied to amend Indiana’s RFRA to prohibit discrimination, the state’s law is still possibly broader than its federal cousin, potentially paving the way for the Church of Cannabis to win approval for their rituals.
When bad laws are used by funny people...For thousands of years, religious people have gathered together in houses of worship to sing songs, celebrate sacred rituals, and lift up prayers to God(s) on high. And on July 1, a new religious group in Indiana intends to do just that — but with a lot more emphasis on the “high” part.
A little more than a month from now, the newly-formed First Church of Cannabis is scheduled to hold its first official gathering, where worshippers plan to test the limits of new religious freedom laws by “filling up” the sanctuary with marijuana smoke while observing a sacrament.[...]
Recreational marijuana is, of course, illegal in Indiana. But Levin believes the service will be allowed under the state’s new version of the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act (RFRA), which reaffirmed and arguably expanded existing legal protections for religious groups. The Grand Poohba founded the Church after he heard about the controversial legislation, which sparked a national outcry when it was revealed that it could allow religious groups and individuals the right to discriminate against others — especially LGBT people. Levin also opposed the legislation, but the same day it was signed into the law, the state approved his request to register his Church as a tax-exempt religious institution. [...]
The federal version of RFRA was created in response to a case where Native Americans were denied the right to smoke peyote during a religious ritual, but courts have thus far resisted First Amendment claims from new religious groups that focus primarily on drug use. In 2010, a federal circuit court dismissed the case of United States v. Quaintance, where the Church of Cognizance argued that their consumption of marijuana was authorized under RFRA because they consider cannabis both a deity and a sacrament. The panel of judges ruled the group had failed to prove that their beliefs were “sincerely held” in a religious sense, concluding that their motives were more business-oriented than spiritually-centered.
But that was 2010, before the Supreme Court broadened its interpretation of RFRA to grant craft giant Hobby Lobby the ability to opt out of aspects of the Affordable Care Act. That decision has led to several district courts overturning previous decisions that struck down RFRA defenses, reigniting old debates over the nature of religious liberty. More importantly, even though LGBT rights advocates successfully lobbied to amend Indiana’s RFRA to prohibit discrimination, the state’s law is still possibly broader than its federal cousin, potentially paving the way for the Church of Cannabis to win approval for their rituals.
Will they pray to St Tostito, St Dorito and the Lord and Savior Cheesus?
