As its reputation goes to pot, it looks like Indiana’s new “religious freedom” law has sparked up more trouble than even Gov. Mike Pence (R) expected.
U.S. News reports “Indiana’s Church of Cannabis Growing Like a Weed”:
That law – the Religious Freedom Restoration Act – generally bans state officials from burdening a person’s exercise of religion, “even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability.”
Opponents say the law blesses discrimination by business owners against people they dislike, with most news coverage focused on the possible effects on sexual minorities.
Bill Levin, founder of the First Church of Cannabis, believes his religion will help restore the state’s reputation after an intense bout of bad press.
“I created the fastest-growing religion in America last week,” Levin tells U.S. News. “I’ve got to cork the leak up that [Indiana Gov. Mike] Pence caused with love.”
Levin says he and other church members “all smoke religiously” and says supportive attorneys are advising him. He’s working to find a facility with a large sanctuary.
“We have people who will be pilgriming in from California, from Maine, from Florida,” he says. “I planned this to be a small church of three to five hundred, but the numbers have staggeringly grown.”
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“Of course I’m going to test this law. I’m not going to test it, I’m going to beat it,” Levin says. “We’re building a church with the cornerstone of love, the way religions are supposed to be built.”
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