Man Says Pot Charge Violates Religious Rights

[Weedpipe]

AVON, Colo. - A Colorado man says marijuana is the main sacrament of his religion and a drug charge against him violates his First Amendment rights.

Trevor Douglas of Avon says he belongs to the Hawaii-based THC Ministry but was cited with marijuana possession after a Colorado state trooper pulled him over for having an expired license plate. The 25-year-old allegedly had less than an ounce of marijuana and a pipe.

Douglas told the Vail Daily newspaper that his religion is similar to Christianity and that the use of pot is sacred to him, just like wine and bread are sacred to Christians.

"The court is basically trying me for my religious beliefs," he told the newspaper.

According to its Web site, THC Ministry has offices in Los Angeles; Bozeman, Mont.; and Boulder, Colo.

"We use Cannabis religiously and you can, too," the site says. "Cultivation and enjoyment of Cannabis sacrament is a fundamental human right provided by God and protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

THC Ministry says it provides "defense to prosecution" to its members who are "sincere practitioners." According to its Web site, a successful religious defense depends on five things, including sincerity; that marijuana be used in private, like in a church or home; and that the drug, or "sacrament," not be sold.

Douglas is due in court March 9. He maintains he is not a drug abuser.

"If it's part of your religion, you should get security from this prosecution of possession," he said.



News Hawk- Weedpipe 420 Magazine - Cannabis Culture News & Reviews
Source: The Associated Press
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Website:Man says pot charge violates religious rights | savannahnow.com

 

[honestone]

My religion says I should steal cable TV, download music from the internet, pirate movies, and manufacture counterfeit goods

 

[RoguePoet]

I recall a bumper sticker that said...

"Organized religions are like cults, they just have more members..."

But, honestone the things you want to do in your "religion" are all about taking things from others...the THC Ministry is simply saying it's members want to use cannabis on a personal level to get closer to "God" - practicing it only effects them, not others...

 

[Irish]

My religion says I should steal cable TV, download music from the internet, pirate movies, and manufacture counterfeit goods

You're just plain mean, honestone. What makes you so hateful?

 

[honestone]

No I am not mean. I just don't think someone has the right to commit a crime then say they did it because of their religious beliefs. If they want to smoke pot they could get a marijuana recommendation from a doctor like every one else.
It certainly isn't my fault he was arrested. His defense will not stand up in court. Suppose a man says he beats his child because his religion tells him to. I do not pretend to be familiar with bible passages as I am not christian but the bible does say "spare the rod spoil thy child." No where in the bible does it say anything about smoking pot. If it did pot would be legal.

 

[Warbux]

Genesis 1:29 :32 i believe.

 

[White Rabbit]

You say "if they want to smoke pot they could get a marijuana recommendation from a doctor like everyone else"

I smoke pot but even if my state was was a MMJ state i wouldn't just run out to the doctor to get a card being as I don't NEED to smoke pot for actual medical purposes. Its that kind of thinking that ruins it for people that really need and deserve it.

 

[FreakNature]

My religion says I should steal cable TV, download music from the internet, pirate movies, and manufacture counterfeit goods

You're just plain mean, honestone. What makes you so hateful?

...and sarcastic. Wow.

FYI honestone, it's interesting that you can pass judgment in this case so easily. Read up on the "free exercise" clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

On one hand you condemn the Bible for your out-of context interpretation about "spare the rod"...then you claim that if something was in the Bible it would be legal. Amazing.

Having a medical recommendation is not the answer to every legal situation involving Cannabis. Medical use isn't the only legitimate use. Religious use and the quest for euphoria are just as legitimate. Forcing everyone who wants to use Cannabis to get a medical recommendation does only one thing - it lines the pockets of those that have a vested interest in the dispensary business.

 

[honestone]

At the end of the day the person committed a crime. In November the legalization of marijuana for those over 21 will be on the California ballot. Register and vote.
If you have a medical marijuana recommendation there is no rule saying you have to purchase pot from a dispensary. You can grow it yourself or purchase it from a farmer.
I'm not surprised that people on this website support illegal activity.

 

[White Rabbit]

its not that we support illegal activity , we just feel that Marijuana shouldn't be illegal. The whole idea is to bring cannabis awareness.

I think i can speak for most everyone that belongs to this site when i say, we don't support illegal activity. We just want this prohibition to end.

 

[FreakNature]

Honestone, thankfully we can let the courts decide, and don't have to bow to such hysteria. Usually they will listen to evidence and make a reasonably just decision based on the law, or constitutional interpretations at higher levels. Don't worry, I'm a registered and active voter.

The only person here talking about supporting illegal activities is you. Those are words coming from you, and they're not true. Neither I nor anyone here that I respect says anything like that. There's a difference between disagreeing with a law and condoning illegal activity. Listen to White Rabbit.

 

[Heavyherb]

Honestone, thankfully we can let the courts decide, and don't have to bow to such hysteria. Usually they will listen to evidence and make a reasonably just decision based on the law, or constitutional interpretations at higher levels. Don't worry, I'm a registered and active voter.

The only person here talking about supporting illegal activities is you. Those are words coming from you, and they're not true. Neither I nor anyone here that I respect says anything like that. There's a difference between disagreeing with a law and condoning illegal activity. Listen to White Rabbit.

Well said i could not agree more and thank you too white rabbit you're right on!

 

[Weedpipe]

my man honestone, you are right about breakin the law, obviously, or i wouldnt have posted the story. but what we have here is a victim-less crime. nobody got robbed or beatin.

i do want to mention to to you that i am glad you did join us here. ya see, the more of your posts i read, the more i can tell ur real close to seein the truth about Mj laws and how they only hurt people and cause a strain on our tax dollars. i cover the news here 3 days a week, and i read far more many busts than i post. so many in fact that i get sick of readin em. take yesterday for example, i didnt post any busts at all. i could have put up several but i knew there would be plenty of fresh ones today. so when i do post em ill pick out a couple of the big busts, and ill put on a couple that i hope the members find interesting. of course the political stuff goes up.

oh yeah, almost forgot, ever so often i get to post the good news in our mission to provide the world with positive cannabis awareness.

so with that being said, i want to let you know that its ok if you want to live your life by the highest of standards and follow the laws that have been provided to you by your government to keep you safe. but instead of the police work it took to take this non-violent offender off the street and moved through the criminal justice system, perhaps that time could have been used to look for someone who committed a violent crime that has gone unsolved.

could this be a scenario that you could live with? ...

 

[Irish]

If you have a medical marijuana recommendation there is no rule saying you have to purchase pot from a dispensary. You can grow it yourself or purchase it from a farmer.
I'm not surprised that people on this website support illegal activity.

And where in the law does it specifically state that you can legally purchase it from a farmer? Sounds like you, too, support "illegal" activity and don't even know it.

Look, I don't advocate breaking the law, but in this case the law is doing the harm, not the perpetrator. When it is law that is harming the people it is supposed to protect, it is time for the law to step down or be overthrown. We did that a decade ago, and the "law" is currently NOT helping us by allowing hate, prejudice and misinformation to support cannabis prohibition in an oblique way--by banning storefront collectives and dispensaries, by making zoning laws that effectively limit the amount of cannabis someone can grow, if any at all, which is an indirect way to circumvent our constitutional rights that we the people possess. Hate, prejudice, and personal agendas on the side of city councils and law enforcement make it nearly impossible to implement 215 and 420, and have for the last decade. As a law abiding native citizen of California and the United States, I, as well as others, take issue with this. It is wrong to continue this persecution and prejudice cannabis advocates suffer under. It is long past time for it to end, yet the brainwashing persists and drives many back to the black market because the law is not protecting their rights as it should be. The law allows prejudicial people like yourself to continue to persecute peaceful, law abiding citizens and ruin their lives, while cartels and true criminals laugh all the way to the bank.

Can't you see what your destructive mindset is doing to others? It destroys lives in a way that cannabis never can. Cannabis has never, ever taken a life. But the mindset you espouse certainly does....and has, by the tens of thousands.

And that, my friend, is criminal.

 

[FreakNature]

^^Well said. I see it like a form of theological legalism, only related to Cannabis.

We need more truth, more love, more grace. How any one person, group, business, or authority can feel right about keeping something (that is not only harmless but has the potential to heal disease and make life more abundant) away from people that choose to partake is beyond me. Even if there is a profit motive...