title: Interview with Jeffrey Bronfman, representative mestre for the União do Vegetal Church in the United States. Interview by Marlene Dobkin de Rios and Charles S Grob.
abstract: A telephone interview was held in November of 2004 with Mr. Jeffrey Bronfman, representative mestre for the União do Vegetal Church in the United States, which utilizes ayahuasca as a religious sacrament. At the time of this writing, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case in which a large quantity of the ayahuasca tea was seized in the U.S. destined for sacramental use in church ritual. Mr. Bronfman discusses his church's attempt to seek remediation in the courts on this freedom of religion issue, in conflict with current drug legislation outlawing the ayahuasca tea as a scheduled drug.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bronfman
mesh_terms: D031581:Banisteriopsis; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012067:Religion / Q000266:history; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts