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When the Feds Come A-Knocking: Psychedelic Churches and the Law
April 16 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
$10
Wednesday, April 16th, 2025 from 12:00-1:30pm PST
Join us for an insightful discussion on the intersection of psychedelic churches and U.S. law, focusing on religious protections for ayahuasca and other plant medicines. We’ll explore whether these churches should apply for DEA exemption permits or operate without approval, the high costs of litigating against the government, and what the future holds for ayahuasca churches in the U.S. Our conversation will also address who decides what qualifies as a “sufficiently religious” practice for legal protection, the balance between practitioners’ rights and responsibilities, and how governmental interests in enforcing the Controlled Substances Act affect these religious practices. We will examine whether using multiple sacred substances in ceremonies could hinder religious exemptions and what the Jensen v. Utah County case means for religious freedom. This forum will offer valuable perspectives on how religious freedom and plant medicine practices could evolve within the current legal framework. You’ll hear from our speakers, including Martha J. Hartney, a private practice attorney and drug policy reform advocate. She is Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants Advisor and the first steward of the Religious Use Subcommittee of the Psychedelic Bar Association. Allison Hoots, an attorney advising churches on the religious use of sacraments, Chacruna’s Law and Drug Policy Reform Advisor and the lead author of Chacruna’s Guide to RFRA and Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches. Lastly, William Barzee, a criminal defense attorney with extensive ayahuasca-related case experience, has secured religious freedom-based dismissals of federal charges and advocated for ayahuasca use during federal probation.
