Marijuana advocates amped up their game as the first cannabis church is starting to move forwards. The First Church of Cannabis was already had its legal recognition.
According to Plaid Zebra, The Church of Cannabis is now a recognized religion. What made the Church of Cannabis a bit peculiar is the fact that they tend to smoke weed as their holy sacrament. The church's minister and "Grand Pooba" Bill Levin sought help from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to have The First Church of Cannabis to become a legitimate establishment.
Levin took a step in having The First Church of Cannabis and its congregation legitimized by applying for legal status. The First Church of Cannabis can already be considered as a religious corporation. Declaring marijuana as their official holy sacrament, The First Church of Cannabis was granted religious tax exemption.
The church gathered more than 700 backers, wherein it was able to earn more than $15,000 after sourcing out funds from a GoFundMe campaign. The First Church of Cannabis will be using the funds to acquire an existing church building or construct their own establishment using "hempcrete," which is a form of hemp and lime.
We are progressing to get a building property to be our holy ground," Levin said. "We're going to set up counseling for heroin since we have a huge epidemic in this country. We'll probably have Alcoholics Anonymous, too. I'm not going to allow alcohol on the premise."
According to Chicago Tribune, The First Church of Cannabis is planning to grow hemp, but they will not place it on the market. Marijuana is currently illegal in Indiana, the church's hometown. This being said, the RFRA stops Indiana's government to prohibit a person's believer's right to exercise religion.
"If someone is smoking in our church, God bless them," Bill Levin stated. "This is a church to show a proper way of life, a loving way to live life. We are called 'cannataerians.'"
