Pubdate: Fri, 25 Nov 2011 Source: Times & Transcript (Moncton, CN NK) Copyright: 2011 New Brunswick Publishing Company Contact: http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/onsite.php?page=contact#B Website: http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2660 JUDGE TAKES HIGH ROAD IN POT RULING B.C. Man Failed to Prove Marijuana Use Served Religious Purpose, Judge Rules VANCOUVER - A federal judge has ruled that a Vancouver man was blowing smoke when he claimed that he should be allowed to smoke up to seven grams of marijuana - about 35 joints - every day for religious purposes. Christopher Bennett is a member of the Church of the Universe, which believes cannabis is the "tree of life." He tried to argue that Canada's drug laws infringed upon his religious rights. But in a detailed 21-page ruling, Judge Michel Shore said Bennett failed to show that his marijuana consumption "has any nexus with religion." "While the applicant has shown that his practice is based on the belief that cannabis is the tree of life, this, in and of itself, does not make it a religious practice," Shore wrote. In an interview, Bennett, 49, said he has been using cannabis as a religious sacrament for more than 20 years. "It's not just some gimmick," he said. "By ingesting cannabis, we share ! in this collective consciousness, which is an aspect of God. That's a common belief in countless mystical traditions." Bennett, a former "hippie-surfer" in Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, started smoking marijuana when he was 12. In 1990, he joined the Church of the Universe after he had a marijuana-induced "epiphany" that cannabis was the tree of life referred to in the Book of Revelation. "It was the pivotal moment in my life," he said. Bennett's clash with the government began in February 2009, when he wrote to the federal health minister seeking a "public interest" exemption from the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act on religious grounds. But officials with Health Canada's Office of Controlled Substances denied Bennett's request. Bennett turned to the Federal Court for a second opinion. In his ruling, Shore concluded that Bennett's marijuana consumption amounted to a secular "lifestyle choice" that was not protected by the charter right of freedom of religion. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom