CannabisClergy.com
Guide for medical cannabis ministers
and medical marijuana ministers
This is a Guide for medical cannabis ministers and medical marijuana ministers.
This Guide outlines some of the topics you may need to prepare for in order to have a successful legal defense in both federal (U.S.) and state (California) court for working as a medical marijuana minister or medical cannabis minister in a California medical cannabis collective, dispensary, or cooperative.
Exact material will vary greatly by religion. I provide examples from my own religion, although many of the examples may not apply to your religion. You will want to prepare your own defense, probably with the help of a lawyer skilled in first amendment and criminal law.
education
The courts often consider the existence of religious education in determining if a religion is legally valid.
legal standards
“ordained ministers selected after completing prescribed studies,” —IRS definition of a church
“Sunday schools for religious instruction of the young,” —IRS definition of a church
“school for the preparation of its ministers.” —IRS definition of a church
religious freedom reply to IRS standards
The thirteenth requirement, that there be Sunday schools for religious instruction of the young, is clearly a biased criterion base on a mainstream Christian concept. For example, many faiths worship on days other than Sunday. Moreover, there are a number of churches which do not believe in establishing separate schools for religious education of their young. Sunday school is not a necessity and is not present in many cultures in which religion is a pervasive element in followers’ lives. Some churches and synagogues focus on a "singles" ministry or a “seniors” ministry. There are also some homosexual churches in which the presence of children may be less likely. — “Defining Religion in American Law” by Bruce J. Casino, International Coalition for Religious Freedom
Finally, since, as outlined above, churches should not be required to have clergy, the existence of schools for the preparation of its ministers, as imposed by the fourteenth criterion, should similarly not be required. In a survey of 250 American denominations over ninety percent report no seminaries or schools of religion. by Bruce J. Casino, International Coalition for Religious Freedom
Kemetic or ancient Egyptian religion
The Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) people had the world’s first schools. Run by the priesthood at the Temples, these were the first free public schools in the world and the world’s first free universal public education system (open to boys and girls, men and women).
The Great Library at Alexandria was a temple (pr) of Pr Ntr Kmt, headed by a High Priestess of Aset (Isis) or High Priest of Ptah.
The courts have already ruled in multiple cases that a person who starts preparing a religious defense (including gathering certificates and other paperwork) after arrest loses all chance to use the late religious defense. It is essential that you prepare your defense before you are arrested. Adequate preparation may even prevent arrest.
This website is concerned with religious matters and only obliquely discusses the law. I strongly recommend that medical marijuana ministers rely on a high quality lawyer.
I (Milo) use my own religion as an example, because this is the religion I know well. I strongly urge people to get together with their lawyer and prepare a similar discussion for their own religion. Again, my religion is only an example.
Good news: Many people over the years have successfully used Pr Ntr Kmt religious cannabis certificates. The author of this website has personally several times over more than a decade shown various police Pr Ntr Kmt documentation and the police have politely returned the religious cannabis. There are at least two Pr Ntr Kmt cannabis ministers who have been released after the police discovered several pounds of religious cannabis (although the police kept the cannabis). There are numerous real world successes.
Reality: If the government decides it wants to “get you”, then your only chance is if you can afford a really, really good lawyer.
The law is whatever the government decides the law is.
The rights you heard about in grade school only apply if you can afford a great lawyer. Public defenders are under-budgeted and only want to process paperwork for plea bargains. They simply don’t have the time or money for trials.
We don’t want to discourage anyone from worshiping with cannabis, but we do want to strongly warn everyone that you have a significant risk of long term imprisonment or worse, especially outside of major industrialized nations.
Please act responsibly. Please hire a lawyer if you can possibly afford to do so.
The courts have already ruled in multiple cases that a person who starts preparing a religious defense (including gathering certificates and other paperwork) after arrest loses all chance to use the late religious defense. It is essential that you prepare your defense before you are arrested. Adequate preparation may even prevent arrest.
Get a Pr Ntr Kmt certificate as proof that your cannabis religion is real.
These web pages contain religious advice. These web pages are not professional legal or medical advice. Nothing on this website should be considered as a substitute or replacement for professional medical, health, or legal advice. All persons should seek the advice of qualified medical, health, or legal providers.
If you spot an error in fact, grammar, syntax, or spelling, or a broken link, or have additional information, commentary, or constructive criticism, please contact Milo at PO Box 1361, Tustin, Calif, 92781, USA.
