Military will allow religious peyote use

by Martha Mendoza

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Native American soldiers will be allowed to take the
hallucinogen peyote as part of their religious ceremonies under new
guidelines adopted by the military.

Yesterday's announcement ends years of pain for Marine Staff Sgt. Shawn
Arnold, who said he had been told not to practice his faith.

"I wake up every morning, and I don't have that full feeling of freedom
because I have to consider that hey, anytime, it could be this day that they
decide to prosecute me," said Arnold, 38, a platoon leader at the Quantico,
Va., Marine base.

Arnold, who hails from the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, N.M., said he
had twice been threatened with courtmartial because of his religion.

Peyote is a small cactus with psychedelic properties that grows
naturally in southern Texas. While it's illegal for most people, federal law
permits peyote use by the 250,000 Native American Church members.

The theology centers on the belief that peyote brings peace of mind,
helps people think good thoughts and heals illnesses if one sincerely
believes and concentrates.

The change in policy was hailed by Frank Dayish, president of the Native
American Church of North America.

"This opens some doors for our church, and it marks the first sanctioned
use of a hallucinogen by members of the armed forces," Dayish said.

The new peyote policy applies to any of the 9,262 Native Americans in
the service 0.6 percent of the military population who use the drug to
follow their faith.

"If they're using peyote in their religious practice, it's a sacrament,
not a drug, just as sacramental wine is not considered a drug," said Air
Force Maj. Monica Aloisio, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

The policy change stems from the 1994 American Indian Religious Freedom
Act, which allows Native Americans to use peyote as religious sacrament.

The guidelines, which allow Native Americans to answer "No" when asked
if they have ever used drugs, still are being drafted.

Peyote is usually eaten but can be smoked. It causes sweating,
heightened attention, wakefulness and sometimes, but not always
hallucinations.

Only enrolled members of Native American tribes may use peyote, the
guidelines say. It may not be used, possessed or brought aboard military
vehicles, vessels, aircraft or onto military installations without
permission of the installation commander.

Chaplain Capt. Mel Ferguson, executive director of the Armed Forces
Chaplain's Board, said Native Americans may use peyote in religious services
while the guidelines are being finalized.

"When people are allowed to practice their faith and nourish the
spiritual dimension of their lives, that promotes and enhances military
readiness," Ferguson said.