Religious Minister Busted for Holy Grow House
May 27th, 2009 by Russ
When openly defying the federal government, it’s often a good idea to spread the evidence of your crimes around a little. Take the example of Charles “Eddy” Lepp, a minister of the The Universal Life Church who was busted for maintaining a garden of over 32,000 marijuana plants.
While Charles Lepp claimed to be using the plants for religious purposes, local officials were skeptical. Lepp was sentenced to ten years in prison a week ago by a Northern California District Court, to the outrage of hundreds of friends and followers in the courtroom.
The Universal Life Church is already on the radar of federal officials who have accused the group of forming a faux religion as a tax dodge. It is well known as having ordained tens of millions of people (including yours truly) to perform religious or secular ceremonies, or simply to refer to themselves as Reverend.
Fun internet phenomena aside, there doesn’t seem to be a religious exemption to growing 20 acres of ganja without a permit.
Scientologists Fund Delusional, Anti-Drug Website
May 6th, 2009 by Russ
Evolving is never an easy thing.
Just when it seemed that our popular culture was finally moving in the direction of reasonability when it came to drug policy, the wingnuts and looney-bins began to craftily come out of the woodwork. The Foundation for a Drug Free World has recently launched a series of snappy video pieces aimed at the horrors of addiction and abuse. Unfortunately, the foundation isn’t very forthright about the fact that it is run and funded by the notorious Scientology cult.
These videos run the gamut from warnings about weed use to Ritalin abuse. And kudos to them for lumping both legal and illegal substances in the same boat when it comes to potential dangers. Unfortunately, the group’s insight abruptly ends there. The videos have the feel of a Guy Ritchie knockoff artist remaking Reefer Madness. My favorite tidbit is the anti-heroin ad, which depicts a young girl caught up in a smack-fueled rage, heaving television sets and clawing the walls in her room. Let’s just say that these videos aren’t heavy on the realism-aspect.
Of course, this would all just be run-of-the-mill Drug Warrior bunkum if it weren’t produced by lunatics. The Scientology affiliation really adds some unintentional comedy value to these pieces. When your entire worldview is based on the drunken ramblings of a science-fiction/fantasy author, perhaps you shouldn’t be the one casting the first stone.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah, I’m Saved!
October 8th, 2008 by Perry
If a story about the Free Marijuana Church of Honolulu doesn’t appeal to you, you might be on the wrong website.
Religion founder Bernard von NotHaus, High Priest of Honolulu, professes:
The time has now come for me to answer Timothy Leary’s nagging question, ‘When will you accept that you are a messenger of God?’
This was the basis for the religion. Eh, it works for me. I didn’t need much convincing after the Free Marijuana part.
The Tao of Cannabis
October 1st, 2008 by Perry
How do you think Buddha got that belly? Munchies. Here’s a list of five other religions that aren’t Rastafarian that use marijuana for spiritual or ceremonial purposes.
Bonghits for Jesus, yeaaah! *high fives*
Church of Reality Aims for Religious Pot
February 14th, 2007 by Alex
With a decision like that, you know lots of different “religious” groups are going to come out of the woodwork and try to test the ruling. Even though there are people out there who strongly disagree with us, tFS has made its views clear on the subject.
Using religion as an excuse to be able to smoke marijuana is ridiculous. Although, this doesn’t apply to the few legitimate institutions out there that use the pot as a sacrament and have been around longer than say… oh… the date of the Gonzales ruling.
Marc, the founder of the Church of Reality contacted the DEA to ask for a drug exemption for his organization. The drug exemption is specifically for marijuana.
Instead of summing up his reasons for writing to the DEA, I’ll use Marc’s exact words:
The Church of Reality is not a druggie religion. Our position is that one should use substances responsibly. We do however have chemically driven brains that can emulate logic. It is well established that smoking Marijuana can inspire creative thinking and I can tell you that this religion would not exist if not for Pot.
Lo and behold, the DEA responded and they are taking his request seriously. In the response letter, the DEA included 3 pages of highly detailed questions regarding the Church of Reality, its background and how & in what context it plans on using marijuana.
Marc intends to completely fill out the DEA questionnaire and get it back to them. I’m highly interested to see not only his responses but also how the DEA will play it from there. Out of all the different approaches to utilizing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, I have to say the Church of Reality appears to be taking the most level-headed and responsible route.
We’ll keep you updated…
[via Church of Reality]
