Dear Public Official,

We are informing you of the facts concerning the legal use of cannabis (aka marijuana) as a bona fide (in good faith) religious and spiritual sacrament.

The use of cannabis as a sacrament has been documented for religious and spiritual use in several religions’ sacred texts for over 2,500 years primarily in the Hindu, Judaic (ancient Hebrew), Coptic, Scythians, Celtic, Sikh, Buddhism, Shinto, and Magi religions.  The bona fide religious use of cannabis as a sacrament is legal.

Government has been negligent in protecting the bona fide use of cannabis as a sacrament for main stream religions, minority religions, and individual religious beliefs. Thus we have the confusion that exists between the religious and spiritual legal cannabis and the recreational illegal cannabis.

This error and the negligence of government in not protecting the bona fide religious and spiritual use of cannabis as a sacrament may cost the government millions in legal law suits concerning the legal use of cannabis as a bona fide sacrament.  Law enforcement’s attitude is to arrest everyone and let the courts figure out whether or not the person’s use constitutes legal or illegal use. This attitude is costing tax payers millions not to mention allowing the availability of a law suit.

The Church of Cognitive Therapy is an entheogenic religion that uses cannabis as a bona fide religious and spiritual sacrament to connect (prayer) with the Divine for the purpose of enlightenment (knowledge). Our members carry sacrament cards and label their sacrament for religious purposes.  We do this to set ourselves apart from the illegal recreational use of cannabis.  The bona fide religious and spiritual use of cannabis as a sacrament is legal on all state levels, all territorial levels, all federal levels, and in every country that belongs to the United Nations. 

To forbid the bona fide religious use of cannabis as a sacrament would put government in violation of the local, national, and international laws that protect the free exercise of religious beliefs. Government can never tell someone it is or is not their right to use cannabis as a sacrament without prescribing what is orthodox in religious beliefs. Sacrament is a sacred part of religion. Government cannot prescribe what is orthodox in religion without being in violation of its own laws. Government has no jurisdiction over our natural rights to religious and spiritual beliefs. Natural rights interpreted by government are inalienable rights.  Religion is an   inalienable right. Government cannot protect one religious group’s sacrament and forbid another without being in violation of its own laws of due process (equal protection). Government in violation of its own laws jeopardizes the entire governmental process.

Without compelling interest government cannot restrict the bona fide religious and spiritual use of cannabis as a sacrament.  Government can only burden the free exercise of religious beliefs when said beliefs endanger the health and safety of the public directly involved.   

Up on burdening the free exercise of religious beliefs government can only accomplish it through the least restrictive means.  A universal ban like the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) is not the least restrictive means to burden the free exercise of the bona fide religious and spiritual beliefs concerning cannabis as a sacrament in each state, every territory of the United States, and all countries belonging to the United Nations. That would be like saying “No more Jews”, “All Christians must be Catholic”, or “All cannabis sacrament users must be Rastafari”. All who use cannabis as a sacrament to connect with the Divine for revelatory purpose are using it for bona fide religious or spiritual reasons.  CSA only controls the medicinal properties of substances, or lack thereof, and has no jurisdiction over the religious or spiritual use. CSA has no jurisdiction over alcohol and tobacco either and they are together responsible for killing over 500,000 people a year in the United States. No one death is solely attributed to the use cannabis.

Providing protection for the bona fide religious and spiritual use of cannabis as a sacrament is not legalizing the recreational use. We do not condone the abuse of sacraments. The least restrictive means in which government can burden the bona fide religious use of cannabis as a sacrament would be to protect it by creating a Cannabis Sacrament Act. This would qualify as the least restrictive means being they have a real compelling interest to burden the bona fide religious or spiritual use of cannabis as a sacrament.

Government's main compelling interest is the one they have created themselves. It is called prohibition. The prohibition of illegal cannabis is a failure and a money pit. It has also cost law enforcement many unnecessary lives. Prohibition of illegal cannabis has led to the rise of criminal enterprises benefiting off the illegal use of cannabis. The other compelling interest is the deleterious (harmful) effects of cannabis. Honorable Francis J. Young an administrative DEA law judge said, “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.”  Government is in contradiction of itself and sending conflicting messages.

In closing we would like to stress the importance of doing the right thing and start working to protect what is already legal. Negligence on this level is very serious and demands your immediate attention.

 As church founder and acting President, I Rev. Levon Lion F. Cordingley do here by represent the members of the Church of Cognitive Therapy and its board of directors in issuing this letter.

Sincerely Yours,

Rev. Levon Lion F. Cordingley

Founder and President