Marijuana on religious grounds? A Cannabis Church opens in Denver

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Jacey Fortin

Works of art by Kenny Scharf and Okuda San Miguel adorn the interior of International Church of Cannabis in Denver. Credit Marc Piscotty/Getty Images

DENVER---For the International Church of Cannabis in Denver, there were three reasons to celebrate (last) Thursday. First, it was opening day. The church, a more than century-old building recently adorned with brightly colored paintings by the artists Kenny Scharf and Okuda San Miguel, welcomed the public early in the afternoon, at which time no cannabis consumption was allowed inside. Second, it was April 20, an unofficial holiday of sorts for marijuana users. And third: A challenge to the church’s legality, in the form of an amendment proposed in the state’s House of Representatives, was shut down almost as quickly as it arose on Thursday morning. [link]