Inside the US's psychedelic church boom, where taking drugs is legal

"The Church of Gaia in Spokane, Washington, has all the makings of a traditional place of worship: regular gatherings, communal songs and member donations except they also serve ayahuasca, a psychedelic substance that can induce nausea and, at times, projectile vomiting. This is a purely spiritual practice, said Connor Mize, the ceremonial leader of the Church of Gaia. It's not a thing you do just for fun."

"But a small number of churches have won the right to use them as sacraments: since the 2000s, four organizations have secured legal protections for psychedelic use after protracted battles with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Earlier this year, the Church of Gaia became the first psychedelic church to receive an exemption by petitioning the DEA instead of suing it."

"Estimates suggest that hundreds of psychedelic churches operate illegally in the US. As court interpretations evolve, religious freedom claims expand and more Americans drift away from traditional religion, these groups are increasingly emerging from the underground to push boundaries over which substances and beliefs deserve protection. The Church of Gaia's win, combined with two recent settlements, makes three new psychedelic practices recognized in the last year more than half of all the ones ever recognized, according to Sean McAllister, an attorney specializing in psychedelic law."

The Church of Gaia in Spokane conducts regular worship that incorporates ayahuasca as a sacrament, producing strong physical effects such as nausea and projectile vomiting. Psychedelics remain Schedule I and broadly illegal across the United States, but a small number of religious organizations have obtained legal protections for sacramental use through litigation, settlements, or DEA exemptions. Earlier legal wins under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act established a high bar for government burdens on religious practice. Hundreds of psychedelic churches likely operate outside the law while evolving court interpretations and expanding religious-freedom claims push more groups toward formal recognition.

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