Reverend David Marbain, right, of the North Coast Chapter of the Native American Church, sings while holding a peyote fan and gourd rattle, as Virgil Red Cloud Goode, from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, plays a water drum in Santa Rosa, Calif., on April 5, 2013. (Alvin Jornada / The Press Democrat)

Letter of the Day: Religious freedom

Religious freedom

EDITOR: It's astonishing that our country is still waging war against exploring consciousness, especially when the journey is via sacred shamanic visionary plants that have been used ceremonially for thousands of years ("Battle over seized peyote," Sunday). The seizure is even more egregious since Congress passed, and President Bill Clinton signed the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act of 1993.

Although it's less sweeping than it should be, the act requires a "furtherance of a compelling government interest" to restrict the free exercise of religion. What possible interest does the government have in prohibiting the use of peyote? There is no abuse potential because this humble succulent is not particularly palatable. Note that research has confirmed that the proper use of psychedelics can reliably induce a mystical/spiritual experience in more than 50 percent of participants. These sacraments include not only peyote but also psilocybin, ayahuasca, DMT and, yes, even LSD.

Please refer to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and the Center for Cognitive Liberty websites for up-to-date research and efforts to end this lost war on consciousness exploration.

FRED SMITH

Santa Rosa

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