Religious Use of Peyote Upheld
Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. —
The use of the hallucinogenic drug peyote in Indian religious ceremonies is protected by the federal Constitution’s guarantee of religious freedom, Oregon’s Supreme Court ruled today.
The decision involves two former Douglas County drug counselors who were fired and denied jobless benefits for using peyote during Native American Church religious ceremonies. Peyote is a cactus that contains mescaline, a hallucinogenic drug that is illegal in Oregon. Possession of the drug is a felony.
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