ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - A couple from Pima, Ariz., arrested in a car that contained 172 pounds of marijuana say the drug is a sacrament in their religion. The U.S. attorney's office says the pair is trying to use religion as a cover for a drug organization.
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In an August hearing, the Quaintances said they have a right to marijuana as the central focus of the Church of Cognizance, founded by Danuel Quaintance in 1991 and registered as a religious organization in Arizona. The couple say the church has about 130 adherents nationwide.
Danuel Quaintance testified the Church of Cognizance is a form of Zoroastrianism, an ancient religion that holds as sacred a drink made from a mountain plant called haoma.
The Quaintances believe marijuana is haoma.
They are charged with conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute more than 50 kilograms of marijuana found in the car in which they were riding. The driver, another church member, is cooperating with prosecutors.
Jehan Bagli, a retired scientist and Zoroastrian priest, testified for the prosecution at the recent hearing that in current Zoroastrian ritual, mind-altering substances abuse the mind would not be accepted.
Bagli said haoma in the ancient Zoroastrian tradition was a deity and plant that scholars say may have had hallucinogenic properties. But he said scholars don't know what the plant was.
The judge is reviewing written arguments and will decide whether to dismiss the charges.
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