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.
holy days
The courts often consider the existence of holy days in determining if a religion is legally valid.
legal standards
“5. g. Holidays: As is etymologically evident, many religions celebrate, observe, or mark “holy,” sacred, or important days, weeks, or months.” —United States of America v David Meyers
“regular religious services,” —IRS definition of a church
Kemetic or ancient Egyptian religion
How about Easter? Easter is the Germanic name of the Egyptian Goddess Bast. The Egyptians hired millions of German soldiers in the War Against the Sea People. Many of these German warriors returned home with worship of Bast and the springtime celebration of Bast/Easter at the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox. The Christians usurped the central-most German holy day to make forced conversion to Christianity easier.
While the Christians changed the date of Easter (a new complicated formula to make it end up on a Sunday), they kept the original name and many of the feaatures of the celebration of the Goddess of beginnings, fertility, and springtime. The eggs and rabbits are pagan fertility symbols. The Easter Basket appears prominently in one of the three common ancient hieroglyphs for the name of Bast. The statue of the Goddess at the Great Temple of Ephesus depicts the Goddess holding a large number of Easter eggs (although some claim they are bull testicals).
Free weekly instruction for medical marijuana ministers and medical cannabis ministers every Monday night in Orange County, California. Write to: Milo, PO Bx 1361, Tustin, CA, 92781. Post office box checked once per month.
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. With that in mind, doesn’t it make sense for at least one collective owner somewhere to pay me minimum wage to work on preparing these materials on a full time basis? Even the most callous cooperative owner should realize that low paid workers facing prison sentences are likely to change sides and testify for the police? On the other hand, if the workers have a religious defense ready then they need not fear going to prison and have no incentive to testify against the owner. I don’t care how jaded and selfish a dispensary owner is, it just makes good sense to have a strong religious defense ready for your workers.
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.
