AP reports that U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts seemed to be taking a critical view of the Bush Administration's "zero-tolerance" approach to illegal drug use yesterday. The case revolves around the use of hallucinogenic herbal tea by a New Mexico parish of the Brazil-based church O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal. Wikipedia informs that the group's focus is "animist, shamanist spiritism mixed with Christian imagery," and that it has some 8,000 adherents - all in Brazil, but for 130 in Santa Fe. The U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, in November of 2004 upheld the church's right to use their psychotropic tea as a religious sacrament after a 1999 Hoasca tea bust by the feds set the whole case in motion. Some Native Americans already are allowed to use peyote similarly. The Bush Administration's commmisars of Justice, Drug Enforcement, and Customs yet beg to differ. Hence the appeal to the Supremes.

The active ingredient in the Hoasca Tea is DMT, or dimethyltriptamine, derived from sources including the ayahuasca plant.

There are only so many battles the feds can fight, and only so much money to go around. I'd rather see the White House and Congress attack illegal immigration with utmost commitment than piffle around the edges of drug enforcement. Heroin, cocaine? By all means, continue that part of the War on Drugs. Trippy Tea in Santa Fe? Give it a rest.

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Posted by Matt Rosenberg at November 2, 2005 12:09 PM