LINK

there!

I'm happy for them, but I'm still upset about the religious/ethnic criteria for entheogen use. One thing's for sure though, legal for some is still a step closer toward ending prohibition.

On a side note, I foresee the developments on this forum (particulary in food-grade and nontoxic teks) paving the way for hobbyist household extraction to become socially and (hopefully) legally acceptable in the event that prohibition is ever loosened on plant-based psychedelics.

Here's some video coverage LINK

I'm completely discomforted when ay.. aya, ayahuasca is telepromted to its dismemberment.
Even though I don't consider my own practices at most religiously through my connection via Jesus, I do think highly of awareness and its effect on the society which frowns upon it.

Theres nothing wrong with the step forward in the reality of these drugs which are completely incapable of administrating harm or violence.

Peyote has been approved for religious use for many years for Native Americans in many states in the USA, and in some states in the USA any US citizen, not just Native Americans can attend peyote ceremonies.

DMT was recently approved by the FDA for human research.

We have Ayahuasca approved for religious use by the UDV and now the Santo Daime. The approval is limited, but it’s a step in the right direction.

This is how to proceed forward. The next step is to get one of the San Pedro based religious groups started in the USA and use the Santo Daime ruling to pave the way for it. Then get one of the Yopo based religious groups started in the USA. Next Rivea corymbosa, and finally Psilocybe aztecorum!

I would love to be able to use San Pedro, Ayahuasca, or Yopo legally every Sunday at church. I don’t think it’s possible to have a full religious experience without them. They are at the very heart of the religious experience.

It’s good to see the native religions are now being taken seriously by the USA. This shows that the USA’s time of religious oppression is coming to an end.

i have partaken of a few Santo Daime "works" and i have to say that for me...i just don't dig the heavy catholic-themed vibe. i was raised catholic...and that was bad enough. religion is a personal process in my opinion and for swim, the spice is part of that PERSONAL explorative process. the last thing i want as i'm being taken over by the spirit molecule is to have a bunch of organized religious reference chanted ad nauseum.... it is wonderful to see our righteous entheogens getting their emancipation for usage. i look forward to more being unhanded by the government.... i'm with 69ron in that i don't think it's possible to have a full religious experience without them....the ego and societal programming has gotten so iron-clad that to break free and experience a oneness with the divine is an extremely tall order. meditation/yoga...all that stuff is phenomenal but it ain't gonna blow you wide open the way a 50mg. lungful of spice does.

i guess what i'm getting at here is this: i'm psyched we have made another step forward with the freedom to imbibe aya. for me, it will be a much larger celebration when we have acquired the freedom to deem what is OUR religious path. our INDIVIDUAL path. when we are given the freedom to take full responsibility for our own lives....maybe i've read too much Rand lately....maybe i'm just a staunch Libertarian at heart. just don't like having to hide behind an organized religion to be able to do the most personal, individual work imaginable. sorry for the rant....i know it's a little off-topic....just had to get it off my chest.

love you guys!

This is brilliant! I knew this was coming
And by their own judgements in the earlier stages of the case, this means a religion with the sacrament of freebase DMT should be exempt too, because they judged brewing to be a 'preparation' (which is of course what an extraction is also) and therefore as illegal as DMT.
Also, the religious organisation is a relatively new one, so obviously there's no need to have been around for hundreds of years.

wasn't someone on this board trying to form an independent group of sorts? might not be a bad idea...

That's pretty good news. I'm very happy about this as I think that's one necessary step forewards.

Antrocles, I too prefer to have my own religious experience without the belief system of an organized religion. For me, all organized religions in their attempts to explain reality with their fictitious stories actually prevent me from being able to fully experience God.

For me the whole problem with most religions is that you have to park your brain outside the church because what’s taught to you within the church is not based in fact. Pretty much every religion there is attempts to explain the unexplainable with stories that are untrue or unproven. That’s a real problem for me. I cannot just accept something that is written on paper or said by another human unless there is factual evidence behind it.

With that said, I strongly believe in God, I am strongly spiritual, but not the least bit religious. For me, being able to legally use ayahuasca to have my own personal spiritual experience at home with my loved ones would be a fantastic move forward in the freedom of religion. For me, it is not possible to experience a full religious experience without the aid of such plants.

I have a lot of respect for the words of Jesus.

Jesus said, "when thou prayest, enter into thy closet."

He’s telling you that your link to God is a personal thing and should not be displayed in public. That is exactly how I feel it should be. For me, a religious experience is a personal thing, an intimate experience between me and God, not a bunch of people at a church. However, I do believe the church can be a positive social environment to help spread the knowledge of God and spirituality when it’s done right.

What I dislike is when things are said in church that are not based in fact and they don’t make that clear. If something that has no facts to back it up is taught in church, if its made clear that it’s a belief with no facts to back it up that’s fine. The existence of God and the creation of the universe have no facts to back them up. It should be made clear at church that these are great mysteries. I know personally that God exists, but there is no evidence to back it up. I know the universe exists, but there is no evidence showing how it came to be or how its even possible. It’s a great mystery, and for me that makes it even more magical.

I've also been in some of their rituals and also preffer the psychonautic way.

In Dreamland's law ayahuasca is allowed for religious purpouses, and even though it recognizes the individual private use, it somehow 'expects' that one is a part of some sort of officially recognized religion to be able to have it. But I never heard of anybody ever being caught with ayahuasca in Dreamland, so I consider that quite a victory also against the war on drugs. Also peru recognizing ayahuasca as a national heritage or something of the sort, and exalting the ayahuasca culture (big ayahuasca-inspired mural in cuzco airport and so on) is also great.

Now there seems to be a wave of news in mainstream media about the failure of war on drugs, and therapeutic use of these substances, plus these religious victories in court. I think its not the end but its one more step along the way.

In the 'united europe' it's still different in each country, wich is bad news for those of us who live in conservative-minded nations and good news for those who live in the more liberal parts of the western world.
In france ayahuasca is unfortunately illegal...for some reason the french authorities are notoriously paranoïd about psychedelics. Maybe because in the 60's they almost had yet another revolution overthere.
In holland ayahuasca is legal, although custom agents once seized a ladies ayahuasca and when she went to court and demanded to get the brew back that was taken from her, she lost her case. If some cop would think you carry liquid explosives with you and seizes your stuff, you won't get it back.
Despite of this, the dutch authorities overall have become less tolerant towards psychedelics; mushrooms have become illegal after some french tourists jumped from tall buildings etc.
Maybe that's why the french government is so paranoïd about psychedelics; if someone commits some outrageous psychotic deed on shrooms, it always turns out to be a french dude.

my friend, you speak the words right out of my mouth. i have exactly the same stance. nice to know i'm not alone in that!

now if SWIY could just explain to me how to get these damn d-limonene teks perfected i'd officially proclaim my love for you!

...and that post was for 69ron....

....i'm keeping quiet on the whole "french tourists jumping to their deaths on psychedelics" angle....

l'amore et merci!!

Well, ofcourse i wouldn't want to insult the french...since they have these atomic bombs of them.

French culture is superb. I wish they HAD beaten the English in all our wars. Then England would be a wonderful place full of fine food and sexy people, instead of an Americanised province of McDonalds, Starbuck and fat chundering drunks. A bas L'Angleterre, a bas Les Etats Unis! Vive la France, vive la revolutionnnnnnnnnn!
But yeah, weird how anti-psychedelics they are... I agree it must be fear of the 60's riots.