Spirituality in a Brown Wrapper

GEORGETOWN, Colo. -- Trevor Douglas is fighting charges of marijuana possession based on his religious use of cannabis as a sacrament. The 25-year-old from Avon goes to trial Tuesday afternoon in Georgetown.

Douglas said he was pulled over for having an expired vehicle registration in Clear Creek County in August 2009. The deputy claimed he smelled cannabis in the vehicle. Douglas admitted there was cannabis inside the vehicle, and voluntarily gave it to the officer. Douglas explained to the officer that he uses cannabis for religious purposes.

Douglas is a member of the Church of Universal Sacraments as well as the The Hawai`i Cannabis Ministry in Hilo, Hawaii. Both of these organizations mandate the use of cannabis as part of their religion. Religious freedom is protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and the Colorado Constitution has even stronger protections for religious freedom, explicitly protecting all religious "methods of worship."
According to THC Ministry founder Roger Christie, cannabis has been used for centuries as a sacrament by spiritual seekers and is the original sacrament of Hebrew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Shinto, Buddhist, Rasta and more.

Douglas says he plans to defend himself against the charges of possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia. In a statement to the court, Douglas wrote:

"The religious use of cannabis is mandated by my god, just as wine and bread are used by Christians or peyote used by Indians. Cannabis has been used by my family for generations for prayer, communion, healing and spiritual enlightenment. My religion is that of my fathers. My religious beliefs are protected by our Constitution and the Church ID I showed Trooper Graham clearly states so. I own and operate an Organic Meat Distribution Company in Vail, CO and work as a Electronic System Technician. I have a very good record as a citizen and try to give back to my community in every way. These charges are a clear violation of my first amendment rights and I request that they be dismissed."