Editing First Church of Cannabis

{{Short description|Cannabis-based church in Indiana}}
{{About|a Cannabis-based religious movement in Indiana|similar organizations in Colorado and Michigan|International Church of Cannabis|and|First Cannabis Church of Logic and Reason}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}}
{{Infobox religion
| name                = First Church of Cannabis
| image               = First Church of Cannabis from the front of the building.jpg
| imagewidth          = 
| alt        =
| caption             = First Church of Cannabis building
| leader_title        = [[Grand Poobah]]
| leader_name         = Bill Levin
| area                = [[United States]]
| headquarters        = [[Indianapolis]]
| founder             = Bill "Grand Poobah" Levin
| founded_date        = March 26, 2015
| founded_place       = Indianapolis
| scripture           = Deity Dozen
| type                = [[Cannabis]]-based [[new religious movement]]
| congregations       = 1 (3400 South Rural Street, Indianapolis)
| members             = <!-- or | number_of_followers = -->
| tax_status          = [[501(c)(3)]] tax-exempt
| publications        = 
| website             = <!-- {{URL|example.org}} -->
| footnotes           = 
}}
{{Cannabis sidebar}}
'''First Church of Cannabis''' is a [[cannabis]]-based church founded in 2015 and registered in the U.S. state of [[Indiana]].

==History==
The First Church of Cannabis was founded in March 2015 by Bill Levin, who attended [[Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation]], a Reform Judaism synagogue, as a child.  He said it was a direct response to the state's [[Religious Freedom Restoration Act (Indiana)|Religious Freedom Restoration Act]] (RFRA).<ref name=WP2015/><ref name=HuffPo2015/> Monthly dues are $[[420 (cannabis culture)|4.20]].<ref name=ABC2015/> Levin said that the church was granted [[IRS]] tax-exempt status less than 30 days after he applied.<ref name=TimesOfIsrael2015/><ref name=ABC2015/>

Levin titles himself Grand Poobah, or highest holy official, of the church.<ref name=TimesOfIsrael2015/> He claimed that he had the idea to found the church while watching the popular television series ''[[The Flintstones]]''. "Grand Poobah" is a term derived from the name of the haughty character Pooh-Bah in ''[[Gilbert and Sullivan]]'''s ''[[The Mikado]]'' (1885), and used recurringly in ''The Flintstones'' as the name of a high-ranking elected position in a secret society, the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes.

The group planned to test RFRA on July 1, 2015, with a service in Indiana including the [[Entheogenic use of cannabis|use of cannabis]].<ref name=CP2015/><ref name=MirrorUK/> However, legal threats from the city forced the first service to not use marijuana at all.  The service went without any arrests, even with a heavy police presence, although there were protesters from a nearby Christian church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/06/26/officials-hold-church-cannabis-press-conference/29327331/|title=Cops warn of arrests at Church of Cannabis|date=June 26, 2015|work=Indianapolis Star|accessdate=August 3, 2015}}</ref> Parking was restricted, as the police argued that they were enforcing a city law on parking on a street less than 24 feet wide. Nearby residents also restricted parking on their property, although at least one person allowed parking for a small fee. The service featured a comedian, live music, and dancing. [[Food truck]]s were outside along with a merchandise table selling [[t-shirt]]s and [[sticker]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/07/01/humor-police-presence-mixed-cannabis-church-site/29561919/|title=Humor, love, police a strange mix at Cannabis Church|author=Mark Alesia and GabFerreira|date=July 1, 2015|work=Indianapolis Star|accessdate=August 3, 2015}}</ref>

A [[security camera]] was installed outside of the church on the first day of service. City officials argued that the camera was installed to ensure public safety. Levin retorted by saying "I find it flattering. If you think we are important enough to install a camera so you can have a guy watch us 24 hours a day, good! Good! You're spending our [[Hoosier]] tax money proper."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wishtv.com/2015/07/01/security-cameras-go-up-at-first-church-of-cannabis/|title=Security camera goes up outside First Church of Cannabis|work=WISH-TV|accessdate=August 3, 2015|archive-date=August 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150804135835/http://wishtv.com/2015/07/01/security-cameras-go-up-at-first-church-of-cannabis/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The church has a list of twelve [[Ten Commandments|commandments]] called the "Deity Dozen", which includes abstention from [[Internet troll]]ing.<ref name=TimesOfIsrael2015/><ref name=CP2015/>

The group's meetinghouse is located at a former Christian church building on South Rural Street in Indianapolis.<ref name=IndyStar2015/> Services are held every Wednesday at 7.

==Legal status==
[[File:Security camera installed by the city of Indianapolis outside of the church.jpg|thumbnail|Security camera installed by the city of Indianapolis outside of the church, arguably for public safety]]

The legal status of the Church of Cannabis' use of marijuana in a jurisdiction where it is illegal, but the Religious Freedom Restoration Act holds, has been debated by legal experts. The Supreme Court case set forth certain criteria in ''U.S. v. Meyers'' that may or may not match fourteen criteria listed by the Internal Revenue Service in granting tax-exempt status.<ref name=Wood2015/><ref name=Michaelson2015/>  Several days after its first service, the Church sued both the state of Indiana and the city of Indianapolis, claiming that the present marijuana laws infringed on their religious beliefs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fox59.com/2015/07/08/first-church-of-cannabis-founder-sues-indiana-and-marion-county-over-marijuana-laws/|title=First Church of Cannabis founder sues Indiana and Marion County over marijuana laws|work=Fox 59|date=July 9, 2015 |accessdate=August 3, 2015}}</ref>
This case was dismissed on summary judgement<ref>{{cite court |litigants=The First Church of Cannabis, Inc., Bill Levin, Herbert Neal Smith, et al v. State of Indiana, Governor Mike Pence, Attorney General Gregory F. Zoeller, et al |court=Marion Circuit Court, Indiana |date=November 9, 2018 |url=https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase/#/vw/CaseSummary/eyJ2Ijp7IkNhc2VUb2tlbiI6Il9rNGZtb1E5SkRrTmRkaS1SNjdnSlQ1Wm5NWkdsVDdrcFhuQ2gzNmNtTkkxIn19}}</ref> and again on appeal.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=The First Church of Cannabis, Inc., et al v. State of Indiana, et al |court=Indiana Court of Appeals |date=April 9, 2019 |url=https://public.courts.in.gov/mycase/#/vw/CaseSummary/eyJ2Ijp7IkNhc2VUb2tlbiI6IlYwN05rRllubFV4RUpQbEtKNzRpbFZlaEIyV3hybTNBT25qOWR6SDRMYmMxIn19}}</ref>

==Deity Dozen==
The Deity Dozen are a set of guidelines put forth by the Church.

#Treat everyone with love as an equal.
#The day starts with your smile every morning. When you get up, wear it first.
#Help others when you can. Not for money, but because it's needed.
#Treat your body as a temple. Do not poison it with poor quality foods and sodas.
#Do not take advantage of people. Do not intentionally hurt anything.
#Never start a fight... only finish them.
#Grow food, raise animals, get nature into your daily routine.
#Do not be a "troll" on the internet, respect others without name calling and being vulgarly aggressive.
#Spend at least 10 mins a day just contemplating life in a quiet space.
#Protect those who can not protect themselves.
#Laugh often, share humor. Have fun in life, be positive.
#Cannabis, "the Healing Plant" is our sacrament. It brings us closer to ourselves and others. It is our fountain of health, our love, curing us from illness and depression. We embrace it with our whole heart and spirit, individually and as a group.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cannaterian.org/the-deity-dozen/|title=The Deity Dozen - The First Church of Cannabis|work=cannaterian.org|accessdate=August 3, 2015|archive-date=July 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705024531/http://cannaterian.org/the-deity-dozen/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/indiana-marijuana-church-releases-its-own-ten-commandments-the-new-deity-dozen-140128/|title=Indiana Marijuana Church Releases Its Own Ten Commandments; 'The New Deity Dozen'|work=Christian Post|date=June 8, 2015 |accessdate=August 3, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jasmine-jaksic/six-modern-religions-for-_b_7144428.html|title=Six Modern Religions for Freethinkers|accessdate=December 18, 2015|author=Jasmine Jaksic|date=April 27, 2015|publisher=Huffington Post}}</ref>




==See also==
* [[Cannabis culture]]
* [[Entheogen]]
* [[First Cannabis Church of Logic and Reason]]
* [[Native American Church]]
* [[Rastafari]]
* [[Spiritual use of cannabis]]
* [[Stoner Jesus Bible Study]]
* [[Ed Forchion]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name=HuffPo2015>{{citation|title=Church Of Marijuana Gets Boost From Indiana's Anti-Gay 'Religious Freedom' Bill|work=Huffington Post|date=March 30, 2015 |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/30/indiana-marijuana-church_n_6970028.html}}</ref>

<ref name=WP2015>{{citation|title=The First Church of Cannabis was approved after Indiana's religious freedom law was passed|author=Sarah Pulliam Bailey|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=March 30, 2015|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/03/30/the-first-church-of-cannabis-was-approved-after-indianas-religious-freedom-law-was-passed/}}</ref>

<ref name=ABC2015>{{citation|title=For First Church of Cannabis, Ganja is Godly|date=June 15, 2015 | author=Joanna Prisco| publisher=Good Morning America|via=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/church-cannabis-ganja-godly/story?id=31775421}}</ref>

<ref name=TimesOfIsrael2015>{{citation|title=Meet the Jewish grand poobah of the First Church of Cannabis| author=Amanda Borschel-Dan |date=June 9, 2015|newspaper=[[The Times of Israel]]|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/meet-the-jewish-grand-poobah-of-the-first-church-of-cannabis/}}</ref>

<ref name=MirrorUK>{{citation|title=The First Church of Cannabis: New religious group preaches the healing powers of pot|newspaper=[[Daily Mirror]]|author=Sarah Ridley|date=June 14, 2015|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/first-church-cannabis-new-religious-5881045}}</ref>

<ref name=CP2015>{{citation|title=Indiana Marijuana Church Releases Its Own Ten Commandments; 'The New Deity Dozen' |author=Vincent Funaro | date=June 8, 2015 |newspaper=[[The Christian Post]]|url=http://www.christianpost.com/news/indiana-marijuana-church-releases-its-own-ten-commandments-the-new-deity-dozen-140128/}}</ref>

<ref name=IndyStar2015>{{citation|title=Indy's Cannabis Church finds a home|author=John Tuohy|newspaper=Indianapolis Star|date=June 9, 2015|url=http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/06/09/indys-cannabis-church-finds-home/28736707/}}</ref>

<ref name=Wood2015>{{citation|title=IRS Approves First Church Of Cannabis. What's Next For Marijuana?|author=Robert W. Wood|date=June 1, 2015|work=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertwood/2015/06/01/irs-approves-first-church-of-cannabis-whats-next-for-marijuana/}}</ref>

<ref name=Michaelson2015>{{citation|author=Jay Michaelson|title=Indiana's First Church of Pot|newspaper=The Daily Beast|date=May 29, 2015|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/29/indiana-s-first-church-of-pot.html}}</ref>


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==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{archive url|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170114114223/http://www.cannaterian.org/ | date=January 14, 2017 |title=Official website}}
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{{Cannabis and religion}}

[[Category:2015 establishments in Indiana]]
[[Category:Religious organizations using entheogens]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 2015]]
[[Category:Churches in Indianapolis]]
[[Category:Cannabis and religion]]
[[Category:Cannabis in Indiana]]
[[Category:2015 in cannabis]]
[[Category:Religious belief systems founded in the United States]]
[[Category:New religious movements established in the 2010s]]