COURT SAYS CHURCH CAN USE HALLUCINOGENIC TEA

DENVER - A New Mexico church was handed a small victory Thursday when
a federal appeals court ruled its use of hallucinogenic tea was likely
to be protected under freedom of religion laws.

The ruling, issued by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver,
upheld a preliminary injunction against the U.S. Attorney General, the
Drug Enforcement Administration and other government agencies that
sought to prohibit the tea's use.

The appeals court agreed with the U.S. District Court in New Mexico
that the Brazil-based O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal
church had "demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success" of
winning an exemption for sacramental use of the tea, which contains a
drug barred by the Controlled Substances Act.

Jeffrey Bronfman, president of the church, sued the Justice Department
after 30 gallons of hoasca tea were seized by U.S. Customs agents from
his office in Santa Fe, N.M. No one was arrested in the 1999 raid.

Hoasca tea, used in some religious ceremonies, is brewed from plants
found only in the Amazon River Basin.

The church originated in Brazil, and its U.S. operations are based in
Santa Fe. About 130 people, many of them Brazilian citizens, are
members of the U.S. branch, according to court documents.