Can "Religious Freedom" be a defense?

[Rehab is for Quitters]

I was just reading an article that explained why minors (under 21) are legally permitted to drink alcohol in the Catholic Church, in spite of laws prohibiting such behavior: The State/Federal laws on alcohol consumption are trumped by the laws of Religious Freedom in the United States and drinking the "blood of Christ" is part of the religious doctrine of the Catholic Church.

So it occurred to me.....could Religious Freedom be applied to mj usage? What if smoking pot is part of my religious doctrine (as I believe is the case for Rastafarians)? Can the US government deny me the right to practice my religion??

Would appreciate any insight from you legal eagles out there. And if there is a glimmer of hope in this strategy, who wants to join my religion? :48:

 

[LowRider]

Rasta's are jailed here everyday in the US, along with raids on those so called 420 church's.

 

[snuggles]

Indian Reservations can decide their own laws, not sure if it's all of them or of the technical points.

 

[LowRider]

Indian Reservations can decide their own laws, not sure if it's all of them or of the technical points.

your right on that. but we have treaties with them. they were smart when making the treaties and have pretty much there own laws. there basically a country inside a country.

 

[slowmo77]

ya i've read alot about religious freedoms, some say cannabis oil was apart of the fisrt sacrament used by many religons as an annointing oil. so if we are to beleive the bill of rights and our 1st amendment it should be protected. but in 1970 i think a law was passed preventing anyone claiming religous use of mj or anything else the government thinks we shouldn't do. so there is your religious freedom.. Im an ordained minister and beleive its part of my religion. if you believe it makes you closer to who/whatever it is you pray to the stand behind it but don't use religion as an excuse.

everything i just said maybe wrong its based off what i've read
as well as my personal thoughts and beliefs so if im wrong about something please let me know.. thanks

 

[Slartibartfast]

You'd have to file a class action suit and entice thousands of people claiming the same religious doctrine to joint up. We could drive tractors to Washington.

 

[GreenMan74]

I don't think it can work. While there is no doubt as to the spiritual aspects of cannabis, and those aspects are just as real and valid as the medicinal properties - even with the medicinal properties, there is an angle from which we may appear very disingenuous in our legalization efforts. How much more so it would be with religious freedom as the main proponent.
Here is this lovely plant that frees the mind, growing like a weed potentially everywhere. It is every government's worst nightmare. It shouldn't be, but for power's tendency to cling to itself and the fear of change.
But I think, I humbly suggest, that we tend to take this issue in a more head-on way. This is a plant that alters the consciousness, and that is something we have the right to do. Saturday nights and Monday mornings if we so choose. It's our own minds, not theirs. This plant, and the other entheogens are here for a purpose. It is a highly spiritual purpose, but we'll never all congeal into a religion. So I think we should be defending it more on the ground we commonly stand on, the right to operate our own minds.
And of course with great tenacity continue to fight for those who have a medical need, but most of us do not, and we shouldn't be jumping on that bus if it isn't the case. The first victories are happening in the medical area because it is real. If a busload of hipsters suddenly come up with a medical need, it only undercuts progress already made.

 

[Dubbaman]

Ironic how everyone is concerned with how the law still is concerned where its a god given right to use the plant old testament says "all seed bearing plants and herbs to use and yes it doesn't get specific as to what uses but we were also granted the gift of imagination and creativity to make uses, the fact that we let other "men" control what they think is best for all doesn't say we should follow one "lawful" religion when every religion has stated about how powerful this plant is and the wonders it can work and if I'm not mistaken isn't Jesus said and written to have healed with it in his time on earth.

 

[Nova]

I was just reading an article that explained why minors (under 21) are legally permitted to drink alcohol in the Catholic Church, in spite of laws prohibiting such behavior: The State/Federal laws on alcohol consumption are trumped by the laws of Religious Freedom in the United States and drinking the "blood of Christ" is part of the religious doctrine of the Catholic Church.

So it occurred to me.....could Religious Freedom be applied to mj usage? What if smoking pot is part of my religious doctrine (as I believe is the case for Rastafarians)? Can the US government deny me the right to practice my religion??

Would appreciate any insight from you legal eagles out there. And if there is a glimmer of hope in this strategy, who wants to join my religion? :48:

Then again, booze isnt necessarily a controlled substance! Im sure the altar boys arent sitting in back killing bottles of wine either.

However, i am with you! the government does everything it can to prosecute the innocent, so in light of it, we should do the same. Let's throw the book at them!

The government makes these laws, however the government isnt perfect, just as we arent. We, the people, have to play their game! Use their tactics against them, and it will send them running with their tails tucked between their legs! This country is for the people and by the people, these days that motto seems lost, and its sad!

Like the Beastie Boys said, "You gotta fight! For your right, to PAAAAAA-RTY!"

Let's party! Every time they try to cut us down, like a weed we will grow in numbers again! When they push us down, lets take a hit and blow the wonderful aroma of freedom in their face!

WE ARE ALL FREE! I WAS BORN TO A WONDERFUL COUNTRY THAT I NEVER ONCE SAID I WOULD FOLLOW THE LAWS OF. I HAD NO VOTE IN THE LAWS SET IN THE PAST. WHY SHOULD I FOLLOW A LAW I HAD NO PART IN GETTING PASSED?

Laws of the past dont necessarily turn out to be worthwhile in the future, most of them time they do more harm and cost more money to enforce because they arent updated! Laws dating back to Cold War era have no relevance now days, why? There is no more Cold War! So those laws concerning the cold war should be abolished or revised!

I think a statutory review period of 10 years should be placed on all laws! After 10 years, a law is revised to reflect any new changes, and then those changes are voted on. If the majority votes the changes are unacceptable, they must continue to revise until the law is accepted by the majority. I also believe there should not be laws against the safe practices of ANY medical treatment, as long as it under a board certified physician in good standing.

Nova

 

[ChatNoir]

It is theoretical possible, there is a Church in USA who believes in that world is created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster and this theory is taught at schools along with Christian Doctrine and Scientific Truth... If you can get more than thirty thousand people believing in your religion and get it a legal religion then it is theoretically possible yet lawmakers are just bending the laws to the point that suits them best... Theory does not necessarily to be in compliance with practice. This is the "free" world.

 

[snuggles]

Problem with MJ is it will destroy our gov't, no one seems to get the implications of legalization, special interest groups are here to make sure that their big business interests are protected, the legalization of MJ and Hemp would be catastrophic to certain businesses and our gov't who depends on their money....where are all the people, hiding in their houses? LOL I wasn't aiming it at you guys just at the sheep who listen without thinking for themselves...I'm not saying break the law I'm saying think and do your own research and then maybe we have a shot maybe.

"We the people...."

not

"We the corporations...."

 

[ChatNoir]

Problem with MJ is it will destroy our gov't, no one seems to get the implications of legalization, special interest groups are here to make sure that their big business interests are protected, the legalization of MJ and Hemp would be catastrophic to certain businesses and our gov't who depends on their money....where are all the people, hiding in their houses? LOL I wasn't aiming it at you guys just at the sheep who listen without thinking for themselves...I'm not saying break the law I'm saying think and do your own research and then maybe we have a shot maybe.

"We the people...."

not

"We the corporations...."

I wish it were possible though corporations rule the world not goverments... A sad story indeed... *listens to Counting Bodies Like Sheep to The Ryhm of War Drums"

 

[Bleek187]

Fact is.. Catholic church has been around for so long and pulls some weight.. so drinking a tiny shot of "jesus blood" or wine is just not a big deal. if they were handing out 40s to 12 year olds at church im pretty sure that wouldnt fly... If you could use this to get away with smoken weed then you would open a door that is better left naild shut... all kinds of new religions would pop up with drug use in its religious doctrine.. so no.. you can not use it.

 

[Bleek187]

would be catastrophic to certain businesses and our gov't who depends on their money?????

lol no... if our government was smart they would legalize and tax it.. or legalize and regulate it... kinda like a state lottery.. or even better like alcohol... most states abc stores are owned and run by the state... you cant get liquor unless you buy it from them.. if the government did the same with MJ they would make rediculous amounts of money... because even tho people would grow and sell it still... you cant tell me that billions of people wouldnt just go to the store and buy it.. the fact is it would prolly help the economy.. but nomatter what it will never be legal unless our government changes over to free tax... and that will never happen ether...

 

[snuggles]

How much would they have to tax it, Hemp and MJ are very very dangerous to many types of business and our gov't will get close to 20 billion for a drug war, we have the highest prison pop. in the world which is a business in itself. Problem is the tax would be insane, alcohol doesn't even threaten any business. I must disagree with you they make so much money off of it now how much would they have to tax it, plus like I said it affects all kinds of business alkie doesn't.

 

[Bleek187]

wate... prisons are state and government funded.. not a business at all.. in fact its our tax money that pays to run prisons..

and i dont understand your point... "dangerous to many types of business" such as?

 

[Bleek187]

and you do realize that alcohol was ilegal before canibus was.. you couldnt get a beer but you could blaze a L... so its posable for alcohol to be an ilegal underground intoxicant and then to be legalized, taxed, and state/government operated but the same couldnt be done with weed?

 

[LowRider]

wate... prisons are state and government funded.. not a business at all.. in fact its our tax money that pays to run prisons..

and i dont understand your point... "dangerous to many types of business" such as?

Actually there are privately owned prisons and publicly traded prisons on the stock market. how you like that.

 

[Bleek187]

smart ***... how about this... how many privately owned prisons and publicly traded prisons are there? how many are state and government run and funded? get back to me

 

[Bleek187]

Less than 5% - 52,370 inmates – are housed in private facilities of U.S. prisons

so ... how do you.... like that... =)