{"id":12727,"date":"2017-12-28T11:56:54","date_gmt":"2017-12-28T16:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=12727"},"modified":"2017-12-28T11:58:46","modified_gmt":"2017-12-28T16:58:46","slug":"pot-churches-offering-joints-jesus-continue-grow-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2017\/12\/pot-churches-offering-joints-jesus-continue-grow-us","title":{"rendered":"Pot Churches Offering ‘Joints For Jesus’ Continue to Grow in US"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"19815465305_7ea6f2bd9c_b\"<\/a>Like many churches, services at the Coachella Valley Church begin and end with the Lord’s Prayer. The service lasts about one hour and is filled with Christian prayers and sermons.\u00a0Somewhere in between, there is the sacrament.<\/p>\n

However at churches like Coachella, it’s done a little bit differently.<\/p>\n

Pastor Grant Atwell distributes marijuana joints to church goers. He encourages the members to take deep breaths, and reflect on their own life and what they are thankful for.\u00a0Coachella\u00a0encourages its member to abstain from\u00a0consuming meat and alcohol, but it uses cannabis to aid\u00a0meditation.<\/p>\n

This isn’t the only “pot church” in California.\u00a0Oklevueha Native American Church,\u00a0in San Jose,\u00a0views marijuana as a sacrament, and the use of sacred medicines like cannabis and peyote as \u201ca mandatory part of our spiritual journey,\u201d the church says\u00a0on its website.<\/p>\n

Nationally, such churches have opened in states like Indiana, where marijuana remains illegal, and Colorado, which legalized pot in 2012. The “International Church of Cannabis” in Colorado for instance is also testing the boundaries of state rules on partaking in marijuana in a public setting.<\/p>\n

How do churches get away with having the substance?\u00a0The churches say that the government is interfering with religion.\u00a0The churches rely on court rulings that made it possible for some groups, including Native Americans, to use federally banned drugs like peyote in religious ceremonies.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur Rastafarian Cannabis Church in San Jose is not politically originated,\u201d Coachella\u2019s websites reads. \u201cAnd we support no political organization, or commercial institution, seeing that religion, politics, and commerce are the three unclean spirits which separate the people from their God.\u201d<\/p>\n

California legalized medical marijuana in 1996 and is going to start selling recreational marijuana beginning January 1, 2018. Because of this, churches have popped up throughout the state in Oakland, Roseville, San Diego and others.<\/p>\n

Law enforcement is having issues shutting them down, despite many of them believing they’re simply dispensaries in disguise. Churches skirt the rules that govern other marijuana providers, such as requirements to pay taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to say they\u2019re not churches, but to the extent that they\u2019re distributing marijuana, they\u2019re an illegal dispensary, in my view,\u201d said San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle.<\/p>\n

However, the City of Coachella is beginning to fight back and will have a formal hearing in front of a judge about the legality of these churches soon.<\/p>\n

Marijuana churches typically require people to purchase a membership, then give or sell them marijuana and related products. They may ask for ID such as a driver\u2019s license but don\u2019t require a doctor\u2019s recommendation or medical marijuana identification card.<\/p>\n

These church leaders stick by their statements that they are a real place of worship and choose to honor God through these means. The members of the church do, too.<\/p>\n

Marco, a church-goer who spoke with\u00a0California Healthline,\u00a0<\/em>grew up in the Catholic church. However he felt that the Roman Catholic Church disapproved of his sexual orientation and marijuana use.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, this has been the most life-affirming church I\u2019ve ever been to,\u201d Marco said. \u201cHere there are true believers in cannabis \u2014 if not the faith.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like many churches, services at the Coachella Valley Church begin and end with the Lord’s Prayer. The service lasts about one hour and is filled with Christian prayers and sermons.\u00a0Somewhere in between, there is the sacrament. However at churches like Coachella, it’s done a little bit differently. Pastor Grant Atwell distributes marijuana joints to church…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":600,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1283,22,2322,2321],"class_list":["post-12727","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-california","tag-church","tag-marijuana","tag-pot-church"],"yoast_head":"\nPot Churches Offering 'Joints For Jesus' Continue to Grow in US<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sacrament is done a bit differently.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2017\/12\/pot-churches-offering-joints-jesus-continue-grow-us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pot Churches Offering 'Joints For Jesus' Continue to Grow in US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sacrament is done a bit differently.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2017\/12\/pot-churches-offering-joints-jesus-continue-grow-us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Beliefnet News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-12-28T16:56:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-12-28T16:58:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/files\/2017\/12\/19815465305_7ea6f2bd9c_b-300x225.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Megan Bailey\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Pot Churches Offering 'Joints For Jesus' Continue to Grow in 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