Summary: Ritualistic Use Of Hallucinogens

Ritualistic Use of Hallucinogens Hallucinogenic or psychoactive plants have played a significant role in the ideology and religious practices of a wide variety of people throughout the world and in some traditional cultures, continue to play such a role today. Psychoactive substances that are used in a religious, shamanic, or spiritual context are referred to as Entheogens. Entheogens have been used in a ritualized context for thousands of years; their religious significance is well established in anthropological and modern evidences. Examples of traditional entheogens include: Peyote, psilocybin mushrooms, cannabis, and salvia divinorum (Sullum, 2007).
Native American Church, Rastafarians, and the Church of Cognizance are a
Rasta’s believe that from one birth to another, the same spirit persists. The relationship of Rastafarians to ganja, or marijuana, which was brought to Jamaica by the Indians as an herbal medicine and as a hallucinogen is used as a meditation aid for centuries. The use of ganja is justified by Rastafarians on the basis that it is a plant, which grows from the Earth and was therefore given to man. Many Biblical quotes are employed to demonstrate this point including, from Genesis 1:29, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” From the book of Revelations 22:2, "In the midst of the street there was the tree of life and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Rasta’s believe Ganja to be this tree, and the smoking of it to be in accordance with the natural way (Bishton,
Over the years, COC has grown into an International Religious Organization, comprised of 78 registered monasteries spread across America and five foreign nations. knowledge of ancient wisdom; that proper respect, honor, cultivation, and utilization of Cannabis, the holy sacrament known as Marijuana, is an essential and inseparable part of Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness are the beliefs of the COC. Many people will argue that the founders and members of the COC are simply using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."....ARTICLE 18, UNITED NATIONS. Accepted by Treaty (1947). They believe that the cannabis (Haoma) is the tree of life, the provider, and the protector (Quaintance,