Soul Quest Ayahuasca Church of Mother Earth v. The DEA: Religious Sincerity and Situational Adjustments in the Process of Defining a Church and a Plant
January 13, 2025 DOI: 10.70423/0001.08 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis |
|---|---|
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Sincerity Soul Process computing Situational ethics Theology Anthropology |
| Key points | Argues that Soul Quest Ayahuasca Church attempted to navigate U.S. drug law by situating itself within legal and DEA-defined categories to gain recognition as a church that could legally use ayahuasca. |
Abstract
Soul Quest Ayahuasca Church of Mother Earth Inc. (Soul Quest) is a domestic non-profit corporation based in Orlando, Florida. Its members practiced a Christian syncretic religion whose central sacrament was an Amazonian plant medicine called ayahuasca, an illegal Schedule I substance in the United States. Church members consumed ayahuasca to commune with the divine and heal a variety of conditions and illnesses. Soul Quest operated without approved religious exemption status by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The court battle between Soul Quest and the DEA highlights the ways Soul Quest situated itself within the law and under the direction of the DEA to be classed as a church that could use ayahuasca legally.