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 via OpenAlex
Summary
Soul Quest Ayahuasca Church of Mother Earth Inc. is a non-profit organization in Orlando, Florida, where members practice a Christian syncretic religion centered on the use of ayahuasca, an illegal substance in the U.S. They consume ayahuasca for divine communion and healing. The church's legal struggle with the DEA reflects its efforts to be recognized as a legitimate religious entity permitted to use ayahuasca.
Study at a glance
| Population | members of Soul Quest Ayahuasca Church |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Soul Quest attempted to legally classify itself as a church to use ayahuasca under U.S. law. |
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.