Utah Faith Group Wins Legal Battle Over Psychedelic Mushroom Use
A new faith-based organization founded in Utah, which utilizes “psychedelic mushrooms,” celebrated a legal win this week under the state’s religious freedom laws.
Lee Jensen, the founder of a nonprofit known as Singularism, filed a lawsuit in December against Provo and Utah County. He claimed violations of protections outlined in the U.S. Constitution, the state constitution, and the Utah Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
The lawsuit described Jensen’s group as a faith community that seeks “sacred spiritual pathways” through modern spiritual practices aimed at alleviating human suffering.
According to court documents, law enforcement had searched Singularism’s spiritual center, confiscated items used in rituals involving psilocybin, and pressured the landlord to evict them.
Jensen faces potential criminal charges in connection with psilocybin and asserts that his small religious group has faced undue governmental pressure. His lawsuit argues that the actions of authorities threaten to erase their existence.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Jill Parrish issued a temporary injunction after finding that the county’s actions imposed a “substantial burden” on religious freedom. The judge emphasized that the harm to Jensen was not purely hypothetical, suggesting that actions against him were retaliatory in nature.
Parrish pointed out that the prosecution had already forced many practitioners away, hinting that the legal proceedings against Jensen feel like a threat to their new religious movement’s existence. She granted the anti-suit injunction, preventing further prosecutions against him concerning the use of psilocybin pending the outcome of this case.
In Utah, psilocybin is predominantly illegal, categorized as a Schedule I controlled substance alongside drugs like heroin and LSD. However, a recent state pilot program, initiated in March 2024, permits two major hospital systems to use psilocybin and MDMA in therapy for qualifying patients over 18, albeit under strict regulations.
The judge noted that while the defendant argued that medical exemptions existed for all healthcare providers, those exemptions do not account for religious beliefs, meaning the law appears biased against religious practices while favoring secular ones.
Utah is among the most religious states in the United States, heavily influenced by the Latter-day Saints. The Utah Religious Freedom Restoration Act, effective May 2024, aims to enhance protections for religious practices and limit governmental intrusion unless absolutely necessary.
Jensen expressed optimism about the court’s ruling but acknowledged that a final decision is still pending. He criticized the charges against him as unjust and emphasized that safeguarding one group’s religious freedom is fundamental to protecting everyone’s rights.
