Rhode Island is Pushing the Limits With Religious Marijuana
While mainstream America sits patiently to see if the DEA will breakdown the door of Indiana’s First Church of Cannabis and drop the anvil on those in attendance for its inaugural ceremony further into the summer, recent reports have documented that marijuana rituals are already taking place in Rhode Island, law enforcement are, for the most part, keeping their space.
In the beginning of last month, members of The Healing Church came together at the Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, the pulse of religious liberties, to partake in a worship service where marijuana use is sacramental. The organization managed to get a permit to have church services on federal grounds, with the acknowledgment that U.S. Park Rangers will probably be positioned on the sidelines to ensure not a single member smokes pot
To protect people form the potential mishap with Uncle Sam’s henchmen, the members of the group, which involved 15 people, desired the use of different marijuana concoctions to coast by the government’s annoying “no smoking” policy. Alan Gordon, a church rep, who does not use the term “cannabis” stated that parishioners were anointed with marijuana extracts and also consumed a fermented drink stemming from india called Bhang.
“Unlike the Indiana Church, we are sincere Judeo-Christian Bible-thumpers, who see “kaneh-bos” in Hebrew as the same plant as modern marijuana,” Gordon said to HIGH TIMES. “We have express federal, state and city recognition of our religious right.”
The Healing Church, which has been coming together for canna-mass for the past year at a house in West Greenwich, started to put on hour long prayer services at the federal park prior to their major event because they state the permit recognizes their First Amendment “right to use cannabis.”
Although, that did not stop law enforcement from making an effort to come in and halt the group from expressing their religious beliefs. Organizers associated with The Healing Church recently delivered HIGH TIMES a video of local officers questioning their everyday smoke worship. In the video, Deaconess Anne Armstrong challenges two cops in regarding the congregation’s right to use marijuana on park ground. she also gives info to the cops that there is marijuana in her vehicle, yet at the end, the displayed minimal concern in a shakedown.
“We stood up, they backed down,” stated Gordon
However, documents display that officers have continued to harass people involved with The Healing Church, writing up fines to various members of the church and going as far as seizing “sacred” marijuana and all kinds of religious paraphernalia.
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