Indiana: cannabis church bans consumption

The first church dedicated to cannabis opened in 2015 in Indianapolis. Its founder, Bill Levin, a rather peculiar character, has just been denied the sacred use of cannabis within his church.

Religious freedom

The principle of religious freedom is fundamental in the United States. In Indiana, a 2015 law reinforces this religious freedom, allowing shopkeepers, for example, to refuse service to gay or trans people in the name of their religious beliefs. But this law also allows native Americans to consume peyote during their religious ceremonies, despite its classification in the same list as cannabis or heroin.

In a state that still criminalizes all uses of cannabis, Bill Levin's idea was to create a church of weed to obtain permission in the name of religious freedom to consume cannabis.

A negative judgment

Judge Sheryl Lynch didn't hear it that way. She ruled last Friday that «allowing a religious exemption to the law that prohibits the use and possession of marijuana would undermine the efforts of anti-drug authorities in the state and negatively impact public health and safety».

Bill Levin believes that cannabis is a «healing plant» that «brings us closer to ourselves and to others». His lawyer criticizes the judge's decision, and declares that he will take further action, in compliance with the procedures. Attorney General Curtis Hill, however, sees Bill Levin's initiative as «a pro-marijuana political crusade that has turned into a legal acrobatics».