Founded in Indiana on March 2015 by activist and self-professed ‘Prince of Pot’ Bill Levin, The First Church of Cannabis has only been established for a matter of months and has already amassed more than 100,000 fans on Facebook.
While some argue the Church is exploiting loopholes in America’s religious freedom laws to get high in public, others attest to the healing and spiritual powers of the herb.
Thanks to its new tax-exempt religious status, the church can now deduct ‘gifts’ through federal tax returns.
The US government still provides up to 300 pre-rolled marijuana joints to the 4 surviving patients from a now-defunct weed study program started in 1976.
Other than that, if you aren’t lucky enough to live in California or Colorado, getting hold of pot can be little bit more problematic.
YES… CANNABIS IS AN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENT! https://t.co/zGdrG6IGcc
— bill levin (@billjlevin) March 9, 2016
The church is free from prosecution due to the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a controversial law that many claim deliberately suppresses the rights of the LGBT community.
So, is the CoC the right religion for you? Have a read of their commandments and decide for yourself.
More information along with membership applications and a GoFundMe page are available on the church’s social page.
1) Don’t be an asshole. Treat everyone with love, as an equal.
2) The day starts with your smile every morning. When you get up, wear it first.
3) Help others when you can. Not for money, but because it’s needed.
4) Treat your body as a temple. Do not poison it with poor quality foods and sodas.
5) Do not take advantage of people. Do not intentionally hurt anything.
6) Never start a fight, only finish them.
7) Grow food, raise animals, get nature into your daily routine.
8) Do not be a “troll” on the Internet; respect others without name-calling and being vulgarly aggressive.
9) Spend at least 10 minutes a day just contemplating life in a quiet space.
10) When you see a bully, stop them by any means possible. Protect those who cannot protect themselves.
11) Laugh often, share humor. Have fun in life, be positive.
12) Cannabis, “the Healing Plant,” is our sacrament. It brings us closer to ourselves and others. It is our fountain of health, our love, curing us from illness and depression. We embrace it with our whole heart and spirit, individually and as a group.
More information along with membership applications and a GoFundMe page are available on the church’s social page.
