Marijuana as a Holy Sacrament: Is the Use of Peyote Constitutionally Distinguishable from That of Marijuana in Bona Fide Religious Ceremonies

"And  God  said,  Behold,  I have given you every herb bearingseed."

Genesis 1:29 (KingJames).

In  April  1990,  within  one  week, the  Supreme  Court:  
1) denied  certioraritoCarlEricOlsen, an Ethiopian Zion Coptic priest  appealing the denial  of a DEA exemption for the sacra­mental  use of marijuana; and  
2) held that the State of Oregon could deny unemployment compensation to two Native Ameri­cans  who had been fired for the sacramental use of peyote.

Similarities  between  the  twocases  end  there.  The Supreme Court's latter  holding  does  not  change the fact that Congress and the Drug Enforcement  Administration  ("DEA''),  have decided to accommodate the religious  practices  of the  Native American  Church  ("NAC''), and  accord  it a preferential  posi­tion by establishing, pursuant to regulation, its  right  to  reli­gious drug  use over against all other  churches.

Part I of this article  will set forth the favorable treatment which the federal government extends to the  NAC   regarding  its   unlimited exemption to use  peyote  in  religious  ceremonies. Part  II of this article will examine  the basic tenets  of the Ethiopian  Zion Coptic  Church ("EZCC"),  related to the sacramentaluse  of marijuana. Part  III of this article  will detail  the  responses of theDEA and the courts to the EZCC's  requests for an exemption similar  to that  held  by the  NAC. Finally, Part  IV of this article will analyze the constitutionality of the differing treat­ment  of the two religions.