THE FIRST CHURCH OF CANNABIS

In Indiana, Bill Levin has founded the First Church of Cannabis – a controversial group looking to test the limits of Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act by indulging in the smoking of marijuana during “church” services. And Levin says the Internal Revenua Service has granted the church “tax-exempt religious organization” status. The organization was established by Levin in March, after Indiana’s General Assembly passed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act which will go into effect on July 1. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) says the government cannot “substantially burden” a person’s ability to follow their religious beliefs, unless it can prove a compelling interest in imposing that burden and it does so in the least restrictive way. The First Church of Cannabis hopes to test the new law by holding a service on July 1 where members will take part in recreational marijuana-smoking, an activity that is currently illegal in the state of Indiana. Levin describes his plan for the religious service this way: “I’m an ‘old school’ producer. We start off the show soft and we have a build-up and then in the end we explode in glory and we all dance around the hall.” The service will open with “Amazing Grace” being played on a harmonica by a popular young musician and will move to a quick sermon followed by a “call to worship,” which is the time for members to smoke. It’s unclear if local police and prosecutors are prepared to accept recreational marijuana smoking as protected under RFRA. “I don’t think they’re going to come into the church and arrest us,” Levin said. “They don’t go into a church now and stop people under 21 from drinking sacramental wine that’s part of a service.”
* He makes awfully good sense for a stoned guy.
* Instead of communion wafers they have little, flat hash brownies.
* “We would now like to take up a collection and send someone to the store for munchies.”
* “Today’s sermon will be on the sin of bogarting that joint.”
* They don’t use incense in their ceremonies, but they’ve got the smoke part covered.
* You don’t see too many processional hymns with a 20-minute guitar solo.
* I’m skeptical. It’s a long way from bong water to holy water.