Wednesday, 22nd, 2023 from 12:00-1:30pm PST

There is a proliferation of psychedelic churches and the spiritual uses of sacred plants in the US. Many groups and individuals have been operating for years under the radar and are well grounded in best practices. Numerous others are more recent and publicly promote themselves. Some have practices which are of questionable integrity. These are all now part of the psychedelic renaissance that is changing the cultural, political and legal landscape around these medicines. What are the main myths being spread around this topic? How can churches maintain best practices? What are the perspectives for legal churches and retreats in different states? Join us for a dynamic panel discussion that will examine these and other questions.

Allison Hoots is an attorney with Plant Medicine Law Group LLP. She has had a diverse experience practicing law, including advising churches’ on operation and limiting liability in their spiritual use of plant medicines and in the legal areas of employment, corporate, employee benefits, tax, and intellectual property. Since 2017, Allison has been a founding Director and officer as Secretary to the Board of a church that uses plant medicine in prayer. In 2019, Allison established her own firm, Hoots Law Practice PLLC, to advise clients on a diversity of matters and to support other churches using plant medicines. In 2021, Allison joined Plant Medicine Law Group LLP as Of Counsel to continue her supportive legal work around plant medicines. She is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. Allison lives in the Hudson Valley of New York with her beloved musician husband, Sean, and two children, Vera and Archer.

Rob Heffernan is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants. He is an independent researcher and activist who has participated in the vegetalismo, Santo Daime and other syncretic traditions since 2000. He has been active in organizing and legal efforts for the Santo Daime, ayahuasca and the broader psychedelic community since 2005. He’s also a certified Shamanic Breathwork facilitator, a certified Integrative Sound and Music Practitioner (sound healing) and a long-term Buddhist Dharma practitioner. He is co-founder of the Sacred Plant Alliance and sit’s on its board of directors. He is in Cybin’s EMBARK training for psychedelic assisted therapy facilitation. Rob has a deep commitment to integrating and building connections between Buddhist Dharma, sacred medicine work and the eco-climate/social justice crisis.

Martha J. Hartney is a private practice attorney in Colorado. She has a J.D. from the University of Denver College of Law. Her firm, Hartney Law, is a Boulder favorite, receiving the “Best of the West/Law Firm” award six years in a row. She was named a SuperLawyers Rising Star in 2020 and has published and presented on the art and science of death and dying for more than a decade. Martha is a certified death doula and the first attorney to be admitted to and graduate from the CIIS Certificate in Psychedelic Therapies and Research program. Martha is also a mediator and has served as a guardian ad litem. She found plant medicines later in life—becoming a drug policy reform advocate after experiencing profound spiritual healing through our plant teachers. She champions the religious use of ayahuasca; and advocates for excellent standards of care, best practices, integration work, and weaving of modern trauma science with the powerful indigenous practices being stewarded into the western world. Martha lives with her partner and has two grown sons. She is a member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants and the first steward of the Religious Use Subcommittee of the Psychedelic Bar Association.

Sean T. McAllister is an attorney specializing in the intersection of regulatory and corporate law, and also is an experienced commercial litigator. He has been a leader in the emerging industries of cannabis, hemp, and psychedelic medicines. Sean is licensed to practice law in Colorado and California. His work in psychedelics has included: Advised clients on what is allowed in cities that have decriminalized psychedelics; Advised clients looking to obtain a religious exemption from criminal law for the use of psychedelics under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act; Seeking DEA licensure for companies to manufacture Schedule I drugs lawfully in the United States; Steering committee member on Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act; Executive Officer of the Denver Psilocybin Mushroom Policy Review Panel, 2020; Chair of the Board of Directors for the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines and member of Chacruna’s Council for the Protection of Sacred Plants.

Myths, Best Practices and the Road to Religious Freedom for Psychedelics Churches in the US