The Church of Ambrosia: Religion, Law, and the Role of the Scholar in a Contemporary Psychedelic Church

This paper examines the complex history and legal status of the Church of Ambrosia, with special attention to the role of the scholar in the legal process. Founded in the Bay area by David Hodges in 2019, the Church identifies Cannabis and Psilocybe mushrooms as its primary sacraments and now claims over 100,000 members. In the eyes of many critics, the church operates largely as an illegal dispensary and was the target of a massive raid by Oakland police in 2020. In turn, the church has sought advice and expert testimony from religious studies scholars (including this author) to try to make the case that it is a bona fide religious organization whose rights to use psychedelics should be legally protected. As such, this case raises profound questions of religious freedom and scholarly ethics that will become increasingly important as ever more psychedelic churches emerge in the twenty-first century.