what about starting a religion for cannabis. defend it as a sacrament. use all of the legal maneuvering possible. never use lawyers. take a stand.

Already thought of, and done. Theres lots of them around. Google it

ya but who wants to start a new one? - we could all move to india as well where you can have a fiefdom up to 50,000 people and call our own shots

ahah can i see this being really fun. espicially when we have to all take the holy sacrament of weed during the "church" service and the church choir can be like a reggae band or something.

ya mun you are getting in the spirit, hallelujah

There is one in hollywood lol They dont even need to have a medical card.

I'll supply the AK-47's (Assault Rifels )

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PARTY CUP GROW

I'll smoke the weed

don't worry I'm pretty good at it

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I love gettin high, hate bein low, and I love to drive my truck down a muddy dirt road

hahaha, nice +rep for the laugh

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I'm a Christian who feels cannabis is an important part of my religion, honestly, and I've looked into this pretty deeply.

A guy tried this not too many years ago in my state, North Carolina, (see the case State v. Carignan 178 N.C.App. 562, 631 S.E.2d 892 (Table) N.C.App.,2006. Jul 18, 2006). He was a member of the Hawaii cannabis ministry (http://www.thc-ministry.org). The Courts didn't buy it. My guess is that most or all state courts would respond the same way.

Federal law is a different question, though, and is more friendly to religious cannabis use. Congress passed the RFRA (Religious Freedoms Restoration Act) which Federal Courts have used to allow illegal drug use for religious purposes. See the case Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao do Vegetal for an example. Generally it has to be a longstanding religion to get protection, though, such as Native American rites or Rastafarianism.

But even if the Feds respect your freedom, States don't have to. In the case City of Boerne v. Flores 521 U.S. 507, 117 S.Ct. 2157 (1997), the Supreme Court says that States do not have to follow the RFRA (Religious Freedoms Restoration Act). Essentially, States get to choose what "freedom of religion" means for themselves, and they don't have to include illegal drug use in that definition. I know it seems crazy, because you would think the Constitution gives all citzens the same freedom of religion. But a lot of what this country does is crazy, of course. And that is just how the Supreme Court has chosen to deal with this States rights versus Federal rights issue.

In the North Carolina criminal case I referred to above, the state supreme court decided that North Carolina was under no obligation to follow Federal precedent under the RFRA. They held the NC constitution allowed the police to enforce all drug laws regardless of religion. And the Federal Supreme Court backs them up on that issue.

So essentially... this issue has been decided. Give it a try if you want, as each state is different and some probably haven't approached this issue yet. I personally think the only way the laws will change is by electing drug law reform-friendly people to congress and other offices. The Courts have their head up their ass on this issue.

Or just move to Alaska, since their Supreme Court has allowed possession in private residences... but damn it gets freakin' cold up there... and you might get eaten by a bear.