First Church of Cannabis rolls into high gear with inaugural service Wednesday July 01,2015

 

The First Church of Cannabis held its first service Wednesday afternoon, but there was one notable absence: cannabis

More than 100 congregants — young and old, and many wearing tie-dyed and leaf-adorned clothing — packed the small church in southern Indianapolis for the inaugural service.

Bill Levin, who along with founding the church acts as the Grand Poobah (a title he adopted from the Flintstones) and the Minister of Love, read off the New Deity Dozen, the church’s guiding principles. A round of applause broke out at No. 6. “Never start a fight,” Levin said. “Just finish them.” As the applause died down he sarcastically added, “Well that wasn't meant for anybody.”

Bill Levin founded The First Church of Cannabis in March 2015 and received status as a nonprofit, religious institution from the state on March 26,2015
On the same day Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) into law, which prevents the government from “substantially burdening” a citizen's right to practice their religion unless there is a “compelling governmental interest.” Levin’s church received federal approval the following month, mostly under the radar, while the RFRA garnered international attention for its perceived position as a way for religious businesses to discriminate against the LGBT community.

The church planned its first service for July 1, the day RFRA came into effect. Parishioners originally intended to light up within the church in honor of the last of the New Deity Dozen: “Cannabis, 'the healing plant,' is our sacrament.” If police were to cite or arrest a church member for possession and use of marijuana, it would set off the chain of events where RFRA would be used to protect the possession of marijuana as a part of the religious ritual