Guide to RFRA and Best Practices for Psychedelic Plant Medicine Churches

The goal of this Guide is to give churches using psychedelic plant medicines as sacrament in religious exercise the knowledge to understand the framework through which the protection offered under Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) may become an affirmative legal right. It also explains incorporation, application for tax-exempt status, and other aspects of operation in this context. While RFRA automatically provides protection for sincere religious exercise, not every church using psychedelic plant medicines will be exempt from criminal prosecution solely on the basis of religious use. There is a balancing test that will be applied where the whole a church’s religious beliefs and spiritual practices will be scrutinized. By looking at the law, government criteria, and the history of previous court and government agency decisions and analysis, a church may make informed decisions in how it articulates its sincere beliefs and operates... continue reading.