Ninth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Church’s Pakalolo Use
A federal appeals court has revived a lawsuit by a Native American religious group in Hawaii seeking an exemption from federal law so its members can use marijuana without fear of prosecution, 谤别辫辞谤迟蝉.听
In 2009, federal law enforcement officers in Hawaii seized from FedEx one pound of marijuana 鈥 worth about $7,000 鈥 that was addressed to a member of the Oklevueha Native American Church. Police later destroyed it.
Michael Rex 鈥淩aging Bear鈥 Mooney, the intended recipient, sued the heads of the Justice Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration, seeking to bar the government from enforcing a federal anti-drug law against the church. Mooney, the founder of the 250-member church, argued that his flock鈥檚 marijuana use is protected by the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
