SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- On
November 25th, 2021, the Chacruna
Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines released its Guide to
RFRA and Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches.
This Guide is a comprehensive resource on the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act (RFRA) and how a church using psychedelic plant
medicine as sacrament can be informed by the law in terms of its
operation and establishing its rights under RFRA. Chacruna is
releasing this Guide for free to the public, recognizing the need
of psychedelic plant medicine church communities in the United States for organized and clear
information.
"There are hundreds of sincere and legitimate plant medicine
communities operating in the United
States living under uncertain conditions," said Bia Labate, Ph.D., Chacruna's Executive
Director. "This Guide teaches communities to learn about their
rights, and how to better protect themselves. When we talk about
religious liberty, we are also talking about responsibilities. If
we have rights, we also have obligations! This Guide provides
instructions on how to better follow legal requirements and
protocols, including everything from the big picture to small
details. It is a must-read for every single sincere practitioner in
this country."
By reading the Guide's explanation of the RFRA test, applicable
laws, government criteria, and the history of previous court and
government agency decisions and analysis, a psychedelic plant
medicine church can make informed decisions in how it articulates
its sincere religious beliefs and operates.
"This Guide is written to simply explain the laws and basic
information needed by a psychedelic plant medicine church to make
informed decisions and understand its rights and risks by operating
in the United States," said
Allison Hoots, Esq., member of
Chacruna's Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. "We believe
that information is power, and it is this Guide's intent to empower
psychedelic plant medicine churches with sincerely held religious
beliefs. An understanding of the law and legal decisions relating
to RFRA gives crucial context to navigating the right to religious
exercise."
While RFRA provides mechanisms to protect sincere religious
exercise, churches using psychedelic plant medicines are not exempt
from criminal prosecution simply because they claim religious use.
"The psychedelic renaissance is expanding rapidly, but the law
moves slowly. In the time it will take to fully decriminalize and
ultimately legalize plant medicine, practitioners are at risk due
to outdated, limited, and ignorant laws that criminalize natural
medicines or sacraments," said Sean
McAllister, Esq., member of Chacruna's Board of Directors.
"In my law practice, I see many people operating under urban myths
around plant sacrament legality. This Guide provides a clear
presentation of the actual legal issues around plant sacrament
use."
The Guide contains basic but essential information, such as how
RFRA case law frames decisions relating to incorporation,
tax-exempt status, pre-screening procedures, limiting liability,
emergency procedures, selection of a name, advertising, sacrament
issues, and other aspects of operation. While every psychedelic
plant medicine church should make legal choices and establish
procedures based on their own religious beliefs and with legal
counsel, this Guide brings into focus where such decisions may be
scrutinized when asserting the right to religious exercise under
RFRA.
"It is essential for the safe and free religious practice of
psychedelic plant medicine churches that they have access to
reliable information on best practices for operating their
communities as legal organizations in the
United States. The Guide is an educational deep-dive into
the legal case law that can show churches what they already are
doing well, and what blind spots they may have about their
organizational structure and operations," said Brian Anderson, M.D., member of Chacruna's Board
of Directors.
The Guide's overview of RFRA cases and operational concerns is
accessible to practitioners and attorneys alike, explaining the
uncertain landscape of protection of religious exercise with
psychedelic plant medicines.
Chacruna is proud to present the Guide so that psychedelic plant
medicine churches can use this crucial information at a time when
such religious use is both burdened by government laws and actions
and being recognized more widely and publicly as a practice with
integrity. "This immense effort of the Guide underscores Chacruna's
commitment to empowering the wellbeing of the psychedelic plant
medicine church community," said Robert
Heffernan, Program Director of Chacruna's Council for the
Protection of Sacred Plants.
On December 15, 2021, at
12pm PT/3pm
ET, Chacruna is hosting "Protecting Sincere Psychedelic
Churches: Chacruna's Guide to the Law and Best Practices," an
online launch event for the Guide with a panel of representatives
with experience with these specific issues, including Bia Labate, Allison
Hoots, Jack Silver,
Mason Marks, and Vicki Kraft. Mark your calendar and join
Chacruna and this fantastic panel to launch the Guide to RFRA and
Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches.
You can sign up for the event here and download the guide here.
About Chacruna Institute
The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, an
organization co-founded by Brazilian anthropologist Dr.
Bia Labate and American psychologist
Dr. Clancy Cavnar, produces
high-quality research on plant medicines and psychedelics and helps
propagate academic knowledge in more accessible formats. We educate
the public and create cultural understanding and legitimacy
regarding these substances so that they may cease to be stigmatized
and outlawed. Chacruna also promotes a bridge between the world of
plant medicines and the emergent field of psychedelic science,
between "traditional ceremonial use" and clinical and therapeutic
settings, bringing the knowledge and perspectives of the social
sciences to health care professionals and practitioners of
psychedelic-assisted therapy. Finally, we foster cultural and
political reflections on the field of psychedelic science and
facilitate conversations about controversial topics that have been
simmering on the sidelines as psychedelics go mainstream.
About the Guide
This Guide gives psychedelic plant medicines churches using
sacrament in religious exercise in the
United States the knowledge to understand the mechanisms
through which protection is offered under the Religious Freedom
Restoration Act (RFRA). While RFRA automatically provides
protection for sincere religious exercise, not every church using
psychedelic plant medicines will be exempt from criminal
prosecution simply because they claim religious use. The Guide
explains the balancing test under RFRA, which applies scrutiny to
the whole of a church's religious beliefs, spiritual practices, and
sincerity—but where the government's interests in prohibiting this
use will be scrutinized, as well. The Guide uses its overview of
the law and RFRA test to frame how psychedelic plant medicine
churches can make informed decisions about incorporation,
tax-exempt status, pre-screening procedures, limiting liability,
and other aspects of operation. While every psychedelic plant
medicine church should make legal choices and establish procedures
based on their own religious beliefs and with legal counsel, this
Guide brings into focus where such decisions may be scrutinized
when asserting the right to religious exercise under RFRA.
Download the guide here
Media Contact
Francisco Rivarola, Chacruna
Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, 1 415-390-6157,
francisco@chacruna.net
SOURCE Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines