Divine Supply: How A California Church Became A Psychedelics And Weed Sanctuary Challenging Federal Prohibition
Dave Hodges, founder of Zide Door in Oakland and the Church of Ambrosia in San Francisco, is leading a growing movement that challenges traditional boundaries between spiritual freedom, alternative therapies and the use of psychoactive substances. As federal prohibition continues to regulate psychedelics and cannabis, some religious organizations are pioneering innovative pathways for legal and safe access under religious auspices.
Sacred Supply And Its Legal Challenges
Operating under the belief that psychedelic substances are sacraments that facilitate a “direct experience with God,” as Hodges explained to Vice, the Church of Ambrosia actively supplies weed and mushrooms to its members in return for donations. This practice, however, has attracted scrutiny and legal challenges, including a 2020 raid by Oakland police that resulted in the confiscation of $200,000 worth of these substances.
Undeterred by these challenges, Hodges and his followers have responded by pursuing legal recourse, asserting their constitutional and religious rights to use and distribute these substances as part of their spiritual practices.