The sacrament of cannabis: Indianapolis church prepares first service

By Lauren Del Valle
@News21

Posted: June 4, 2015

PHOENIX – Like many traditional religions, worshippers will sing and recite spiritual doctrine, but at the conclusion of the First Church of Cannabis service, the congregation will smoke cannabis.

At least, that’s the plan.

The Indianapolis church’s founder and self proclaimed “Grand Poobah and Minister of Love,” Bill Levin, said the church does not yet have a worship space or permissible marijuana from the state seed commissioner. He’s confident they’ll complete all the necessary preparations in time for the first service on July 1.

Levin did, however, check one major task off his “to do” list.

On May 21, the IRS approved the 501(c)(3) application for tax exemption for the church. And they got it in less than a month.

“All churches get tax-exempt numbers every day,” Levin said. “The miracle wasn’t in getting it. The miracle was in how quickly we got it. … We’ve heard horror stories of 180-day waits. … So we were pleasantly surprised when we got it back in under 30 days.”

“Somebody obviously loves us at the IRS,” Levin added. “Love travels in mysterious ways.”

Regardless of the reasoning behind the expedient approval, there are noted benefits to the IRS status. The church is not subject to random IRS audits. The government also will automatically renew its tax-exempt status. And folks who contribute also can make tax-deductible donations.

There are more than 700 paid members, or cannabiterians, but Levin anticipates between 1,200 to 1,500 attendees at the opening service based on media attention and public feedback. The First Church of Cannabis Facebook page has nearly 35,000 likes.

The church’s gofundme.com page had raised more than $11,000 as of Wednesday morning. That is currently the only source of funding for the church, Levin said, but added that he thinks substantial donations are forthcoming.

Both recreational and medical marijuana in all forms are illegal in Indiana. The church plans to approach the state seed commissioner to secure the right to obtain seeds and grow hemp on the church property.

The recent controversial Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act makes such a request possible. The Secretary of State Connie Lawson approved the church under the act as a religious corporation.

In March, Republican Gov. Mike Pence and the General Assembly passed the act, which opponents say could allow business owners to deny service to members of the LGBT community based on religious beliefs. Pence has faced national backlash for supporting the legislation.

“The original draft that Pence signed, I fought tooth and nail. … I thought it was the most vulgar display of hatred that has ever come out of our state,” Levin said.

For a spiritual activist like Levin, however, the legislation opens new doors. The law goes into effect at noon on July 1. And accordingly, the first service of the First Church of Cannabis is set to begin at 12:01 p.m. that day.

The church is founded upon Levin’s doctrine, the “Deity Dozen.” The 12 “suggested pathways to a better life” are meant to advise individuals on how to act in a modern society. The eighth pathway, for example, discourages cyber bullying. The final pathway, however, is the most signature to the religion – the sacrament of cannabis. Intake of marijuana is necessary to human health, Levin said, and rids the body of bad vibes and toxins. And it is all done in the name of love.

“We have a real simple prayer, it’s three words – I love you,” Levin said. “… Everybody who reads this I’d like to tell you that I love you.”

Lauren Del Valle is a News21 Knight Foundation Fellow. Follow her on Twitter at @Lauren_delValle