Wish I Had Seen This A Few Minutes Ago, When I Wrote This
From Reuters/Yahoo!:
The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it would decide whether the federal government must allow the U.S. branch of a Brazilian-based religion to import a hallucinogenic tea for use as a sacrament....
The U.S. Justice Department said that under the ruling the government must allow the importation and possession of hoasca tea for religious services....
Members of the religion, O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal, believe the tea is sacred and that using it connects them to God. The tea is made from two plants that grow in the Amazon.
Founded in Brazil in 1961, the religion practices a blend of Christian theology and indigenous South American beliefs. It has about 8,000 members in Brazil.
In 1993, its leader set up a branch in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and it has about 130 followers in the United States....
The tea contains dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, a controlled substance. The government said it had a high potential for abuse and was unsafe for use even under medical supervision, but attorneys for the religion said experts testified that sacramental use of the tea caused no harm....
The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case and then issue a decision during its upcoming term that begins in October.
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