Religion and Drug Policy

Sterling, E. E. (2000). Friendly Fire. Haverford Alumni Magazine, pp. 1-8.
(Note: Sterling is a member of the Bethesda Friends Meeting. Haverford College was founded by Quakers and is still managed in accord with Quaker values.)
What should we do about the growing number of drug overdose deaths? What can we do to prevent the crime committed by drug users? Can we control the violence and corruption that are intrinsic to the illegal drug trade? Can we prevent the environmental destruction in the Amazon and the Andes, in U.S. National Parks and Forests, and even in our own neighborhoods, that results from illegal drug processing? What can we do about paramilitary forces, revolutionary armies and global criminal gangs who finance themselves through their involvement in the drug traffic? As our nation and the United Nations address these issues, do we have a strategy likely to succeed? Printer-friendly version

Sterling, E. E. (1997). Law Enforcement Against Entheogens: Is It Religious Persecution?. Entheogens and the Future of Religion. Excerpted from a chapter in the book Entheogens and the Future of Religion. Edited by Robert Forte. San Francisco, CA: Council on Spiritual Practices (1997). An excerpt from the chapter by Eric E. Sterling discusses the history and nature of laws against the use of entheogens -- peyote, marijuana, and other plant materials used for spiritual purposes.

Psychedelics and the Religious Experience. Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. This website contains many valuable resources about psychedelic drugs and their religious uses.

A Legal Analysis of the Gonzales Vs. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Uniao Do Vegetal (UDV). This website looks at the legal implications of one of the most important Supreme Court cases regarding the religious use of drugs.

Snake, R. (with Sterling, E. E.) (1990, September 29). Native American Worship With Peyote is Not Drug Abuse. This statement by Reuben Snake at the U.S. capitol was written with the help of CJPF President Eric E. Sterling. It asserts that the use of peyote by Native Americans is a religious ritual, not drug abuse, and is protected by the Constitution. Printer-friendly version