Psychedelics and freedom of religion

Use of psychedelic plants as part of religious ceremonies and spiritual vision quests has a long history, especially in the “new world.“ Earlier this year the US Supreme Court agreed that the use of Ayahuasca tea, containing the psychedelic compound DMT, was protected under freedom of religion, for members, in Oregon, California and New Mexico, of churches affiliated with Brazil-based O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegeta, or Church of the Holy Light of the Queen.  Dr Inaba comments on the history,use and pharmacology of psychedelics or “all-arounders.”

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Ayahuasca and Religious Freedom in Oregon

Front page headline of The Medford Oregon Mail Tribune, Saturday, March 21, 2009: Religious freedom wins out: Judge rules Ashland church can use hallucinogenic tea during services. The article documents U.S. District Court Judge Owen Panner’s decision of March 19, 2009 confirming the right of the Church of the Holy Light of the Queen (a branch of the Brazilian Santo Daime religious doctrine) in Ashland Oregon to drink Daime tea as part of their religious services. Daime tea is the name used by the church since its founding in 1930 for a medicinal, magical and spiritual drink generically known in South America as Ayahuasca.¹ I applaud Judge Panner’s decision, congratulate the Holy Light of the Queen Church for winning their religious freedom, and am very encouraged to see that the religious order is willing to work closely with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to prevent diversion of the Schedule One hallucinogenic constituents of the tea.

Ayahuasca is a drink brewed from species of the Banisteriopsis vine (often B. caapi) together with one or more other plants (often Psychotria viridis) that most often contain tryptamine alkaloids. The practice of drinking these substances to induce spiritual and magical visions or hallucinations may date back to more than 2,500 BCE in South America. There are more than 42 indigenous names for various Ayahuasca preparations and more than 72 distinct and often purposely insular indigenous Amazonian tribes that have their own formula for its preparation. Yaje (or Yage), Caapi, Kahi, Dapa and Natema are some of the more known names for such concoctions other than Ayahuasca and now the more modern name of Daime tea. Several wonderful descriptions of these drinks and their psychedelic properties can be found in a number of books.^2-5

Pharmacological and bioavailability issues of Banisteriopsis and tryptamine alkaloids are fascinating. Banisteriopsis contains harmaline and other ?-carboline alkaloids. These are brain stimulants via reversible inhibition of monamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) enzyme that together with MAO-B usually inactivates stimulatory neurotransmitters like dopamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline in the body and brain. When MAO is inhibited, the stimulant neurotransmitters are not metabolized and thus become more active than normal. For this reason, MAO inhibitors are used to treat depression. Harmaline and other ?-carboline alkaloids can cause hallucinations when taken in high doses but high doses can also result in dangerously high blood pressure and other toxic effects. Psychotria viridis and the other plants used with Banisteriopsis to brew Ayahuasca drinks contain dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and other tryptamine alkaloids. The tryptamines are very hallucinogenic at fairly low doses and much less toxic than the ?-carbolines. But, they are readily broken down by the MAO enzyme and usually don’t reach the brain when ingested orally. Cohaba and Yapo snuff used by Caribbean and South American natives are inhaled to avoid MAO metabolism of the tryptamines they contain. Other cultures have also prepared these plants to be smoked. Daime tea or Ayahuasca makes the tryptamines orally available to the brain by combining those plants with Banisteriopsis which contains natural MAO enzyme inhibitors. ^2-5 How indigenous, disparate, primitive South Americans of 2,500 BCE could comprehend these complex modern pharmacologic principals is immensely amazing.

Judge Panner’s ruling permitting the Ashland Oregon church to use Daime tea is a proper decision for several reasons. First, the DEA has long acknowledged that DMT, psilocybin (mushroom), mescaline (Peyote Cactus) and many other Schedule I Controlled psychedelic drugs do not cause physical dependence or addiction.⁶ Since DMT has a very short duration of action (30 to 45 minutes) ⁶ it also has less potential to disrupt a person’s life than other long-acting psychedelics. Ayahuasca beverages have 4 to 6 hours duration of psychedelic action, still very brief in comparison to other psychedelics. The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 provides precedence for the ceremonial use of hallucinogenic drugs that have been used for centuries by American Indians as a religious sacrament.⁷ Though this act was specifically written for the use of Peyote cactus; Ayahuasca certainly fits the legal intent of the 1978 legislation. In 1994, hardships resulting from the lack of state uniformity with the federal act resulted in amendments to original law making it clear that federal law superseded state laws regarding this American Indian religious freedom. The catalyst for this change was a 1990 U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding two substance abuse treatment workers in Oregon who were denied unemployment benefits when they were fired after admitting to the use of Peyote while attending a Native American Church ceremony.⁸ In 1990 it was illegal to possess Peyote in Oregon even though the 1978 federal law allowed its possession and use by American Indians for religious rites. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Oregon’s denial of unemployment claims ruling in support of the Oregon state law. ⁸ Had the 1994 amendments been in place the ruling would have gone the other way in favor of the two respondents. I find it a bit ironic that the current situation with marijuana is reversed in that medical marijuana is legal in Oregon but federally prohibited.

Though I am overall pleased by Holy Light of the Queen Church’s legal victory to use Daime tea during their ceremonies, there are some major safeguards that need to be in place regarding the use of Ayahuasca. It was reassuring to read that the Church seemed to be well aware of these caveats. The March 19, 2009 Mail Tribune article mentions that the Church screens members to ensure that they don’t have a history of psychosis or other mental health condition which might be negatively impacted by their use of Daime. The Church also encourages its member to seek advice of a physician before ingesting the tea.

All psychedelic drugs have a potential to induce an acute anxiety reaction (“bad trip”) or activate paranoia and other mental health problems. The very intense though very short psychedelic effects experienced by use of Ayahuasca beverages should therefore be avoided by anyone with such tendencies. Of even greater concern is the MAO inhibitory action of the ?-carboline alkaloids, the principal psychoactive chemicals of the Banisteriopsis vine bark that is used to make Daime tea. A vast number of foods, prescription medications, non-prescription medications and even street drugs contain stimulatory chemicals that are rapidly deactivated by MAO before they can cause severe medical problems and even death. When MAO is blocked from working, even seemingly benign substances like aged cheeses, processed meats, fish, beers, red wines, coffee, and cold medications can result in severe toxic consequences when consumed together with a MAO inhibitor. Tyramine, an amino acid found in many foods is usually metabolized by MAO before it can reach the brain. When a MAO inhibitor is present, it is not deactivated and causes toxic stimulation to the brain, heart and blood vessels. Comprehensive lists of foods and medications that need to be avoided or used with caution when taking a MAO inhibitor can be found on-line and in any medical text.^9,10 This explains why shamans have long advised using Ayahuasca only while fasting with no food or drink other than water for at least 12 hours before and several hours after the ceremony.¹¹ This confirms my long-held belief that when psychedelic substances are used as Native Americans have done for centuries – in the right settings/situations, for the right purposes, and especially under the guidance and tutelage of the elders – these substances can inspire and promote great insights for the individual and for their culture.

Darryl S. Inaba, PharmD., CADC III

September 2009

References

1. Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Newsletter (1992). Volume 3, Number 4, winter 1992.

2. Stafford P (1992). Psychedelic Encyclopedia: Third Expanded Edition (Chapter 7), Ronin Pub., Inc.: Berkeley, CA.

3. Schultes RE, Hofmann, A (1992). Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers, Healing Arts Press: Rochester, Vermont.

4. Schultes RE, Raffauf RF (1992). Vine of the Soul, Synergetic Press: Sante Fe, New Mexico.

5. Meyer P (1994). Apparent communication with discarnate entities induced by dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ppg. 161-205, in T Lyttle, Psychedelics, Barricade Books, Inc.: New York, NY.

6. DEA (2007). Drugs and chemicals of concern: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugs_concern/dmt/dmt.htm accessed 3/25/09.

7. Public Law 103-344 [H.R. 4230] (1994). American Indian Religious Freedom Act: Amendments of 1994, http://www.nativeamericanchurch.com/law.html accessed 3/26/09.

8. Employment Div. V. Smith.,494 U.S.872 (1990), http://supreme.justia.com/us/494/872/ accessed 4/3/09.

9. Saklad SR (1994). MAOI Diet, The virtual en-psych-lopedia by Dr. Bob, http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/maoi.html accessed 3/26/09.

10. Medicine – Herb/Food Interactions (1998-2007). Herbal Medicine: Holistic online.com, https://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/hol_herb_med_reac.htm accessed 3/26/09.

11. Ayahuasca: the magical brew of Amazoinian Shamans (2000-2009). El Mundo Magico – The Magical Earth, http://www.ayahuasca-shamanism.co.uk/onanyanshobo-ayahuasca-info.htm accessed 4/4/09.