By Tove Tupper
February 18, 2009
ASHLAND, Ore. -- An Ashland church has filed a preemitive federal lawsuit over its use of a hallucinogenic tea.
The lawsuit argues that the Church of the Holy Light of the Queen has the religious freedom to use Ayahuasca tea, because it's used to try to achieve a direct connection to Jesus.
The church is a branch of the Santa Daime, which is described as a mix of Catholicism and Shamanistic Brazilian beliefs.
Ayahuasca tea originated in the upper Amazon. It is made from two plants which contain a hallucinogenic drug called DMT. After drinking it some may get nauseous, vomit, and have powerful hallucinations.
Neighbors of the church say they sporadically hear hymn-like singing coming from the house. They say lots of cars often visit the home, but that's stopped in recent months.
Comments
totally uninformative...
This news story is really just a primer on the basic botany and chemistry of ayahuasca, with little more than a sentence or two devoted to the specifics of the court case. I'd really love to know more about the group, practices, the particulars of the case, etc. Also, ayahuasca need not be consumed in large doses for it to work its undeniable magic. One need not experience so-called "massive hallucinations" to tap into the spiritual power the of concoction. One becomes ever more sensitive to its effects. Further, an UDV-funded study found that long-term users suffered no deletrious effects from its consumption, and in fact, showed measurably superio physical and mental wellbeing in comparison to non-using control subjects. Religious consumption is officially recognized in Brazil and Peru, and rather succesful legal defenses have been mounted in the Netherlands and even in the U.S. Supreme Court.