A federal court is ruling that a Hawaiian Native American church may not be excused from state marijuana laws, despite claims their use of the drug is religious.
The Native American Church of Hawaii had cited the US Religious Freedom Restoration Act, requesting that they be relieved from federal marijuana laws in order to use the drug as part of its sacred sacrament.
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A district court ruled against the claim, arguing that the church had not presented sufficient evidence regarding the nature of its religion, besides a belief in the benefits of marijuana. The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently upheld the decision, saying that prohibition of the drug doesn’t impose enough of a burden on church members rights to exercise their religion.
Church founder Michael Rex Mooney said:
“It’s really disappointing […] Cannabis is a prayer smoke, so it’s a sacrament … through the effects of the medicine, it also helps us become closer to our creator. It puts us in a place, a state of mind, where we can actually feel the presence and an actual relationship with our creator.”
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Related:
Native American Church Claims Cannabis Dispensary for Religious Purposes
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