FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Alan Gordon 401-304-6020 judges1412@gmail.com

New England Cannabis Anti-Discrimination Taskforce (NECAT)

Anne Armstrong 402-304-6543 annearmstrongri@gmail.com

The Healing Church

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Police-Handling Guidelines Issued to Cannabis Congregation

After Curious Questioning by City, Federal Authorities (video links to police encounter in text below)

Anne Armstrong of The Healing Church (a cannabis using religious sect), is issuing guidelines to her

congregation and for other “Cannabist” sects, after repeated encounters with police. Deaconess

Armstrong conducted services this past Sunday May 17 2015 at the birthplace of U.S. religious freedom,

Roger Williams National Memorial, but not without a hiccup. Federal and City of Providence Police

officers were curious about the small service -- just Armstrong and 4 men -- because the congregation

was smoking cannabis and receiving cannabis oil forehead anointing, which they say is commanded by

God and Moses in the Book of Exodus. Armstrong’s church has a permit for over 100 people to pray and

use religious cannabis next Saturday, May 23rd 2105, at 8:00 pm, but the group lacked a permit to pray in

the park on the morning of Sunday 17th May, and a federal Park Ranger sought to intervene. The

exchange went as follows [paraphrased]:

Park Ranger: “You may not break the Controlled Substances Act here.”

Armstrong: “We’re not -- this cannabis is religious” [Armstrong hands Ranger her Ordination papers,

showing that Armstrong has been clergy since 2002]

Park Ranger: “Your permit for that is not until next Saturday May 23rd.”

Armstrong: “We don’t need a permit to use cannabis in small groups. The Government lacks

authority to issue or deny permits for Constitutionally-protected activity under Boardley v National Park

Service (2010). Next week’s permit is so when more than 100 people smoke religious cannabis at once,

the public’s use and enjoyment of the National Park is not impeded. But small groups gathering for

Constitutionally-protected activity do not require permits.”

The congregation then smoked more religious cannabis for an hour, at which point Armstrong started

towards the Park Service office to collect her Ordination papers. Then, City of Providence Police officers

arrived, and put the Deaconess through the same drill (see linked video), before handing her the

Ordination papers transferred to them by the Federal Ranger. Police can be clearly heard to say at 2:10 in

the video that they have no problem with cannabis use on the permitted day. Armstrong can be heard (at

2:55-3:00 in the video) telling the officers she was about to drive home with the rest of the cannabis, and

that they may inspect it if they wish. They decline.

Alan Gordon, Church Canon (Ecclesiastical law researcher) said that the federal and city governments

were being “silly” when they tried to tell Armstrong the Church can’t smoke cannabis until next week’s

permit. Gordon says both jurisdictions would have a hard time blocking any good-faith religious

cannabis use in the future, given a legal test for that called the “compelling interest test”. According to

Gordon, in order for the Government to burden someone’s religious practice, Government must first

prove they have a compelling interest.

“Letting us smoke in public for an hour, then drive cannabis away with a prior religious cannabis

convicted felon like me, without even a background ID check, shows that the United States and City of

Providence governments do not consider cannabis prayer interference to be a compelling interest. If other

worshipers later got harassed, they could use this evidence of the harmlessness with which we prayed

unmolested to undermine any Government claim of compelling interest,” says Gordon, who says both

jurisdictions “finally acquiesced to the truth that religious cannabis use, undertaken in good faith, is better

for people than using it in bad faith, and not worth suppressing any longer.”

Deaconess Armstrong seemed almost a little disappointed not to have been arrested, but, she says: “I can

see why they would not want to make a test case of this at the birthplace of US religious freedom, but

Armstrong and Gordon v National Park Service has a certain ring to it.”

Police-Handling Guidelines for The Healing Church

1. If approached by police, do not run, hide, or hide sacred matter. Stand up straight and tall, and

smile. Leave your hands where the police can see them. Always tell the Truth.

2. If a police officer tells you your religious cannabis use is against the law, correct the officer by

saying: “Not if it is sincerely religious, and this cannabis is religious matter”.

CAUTION: If you are not a sincere religious cannabis user, in good faith, do not expect to be

taken seriously. Police officers get lied to all day long for a living, and they have pretty good

bull-poop sniffers. If they know you’re lying, you may get arrested and hauled to court, where

the sincerity of your religious belief is your burden to prove under the Religious Freedom

Restoration Act (State and Federal).

3. If the officer tries to tell you that religious cannabis use may only be undertaken with a permit,

tell him or her that the law specifically prohibits Government from requiring permits for

Constitutionally-protected activity (see the case of Boardley v Park Service 2010), and that good-

faith religious substance use is protected by an 8-0 unanimous Supreme Court decision (Attorney

General v United Church of the Vegetable 2006).

4. If any further difficulty ensues, then as soon as possible, contact Deaconess Anne Armstrong or

Canon Alan Gordon for assistance. The police may not “substantially burden” your religious

practice, and even questioning you for more than a moment might cross that line. Don’t wait if

unsure -- call for help.