YouTube version:

Audio version:

Hey everybody! Episode 174 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Andrew Michaels. I got to know Andrew when he came and worked with us. He’s an interesting guy with an interesting story. He is a lawyer by trade and recently released and will publish a paper entitled Ayahuasca and Religious Freedom. This is an important and prescient topic as ayahuasca is being brought to and worked with in the United States. Currently it is illegal and classified as a Schedule 1 drug. However there is now case law and precedent of groups attaining religious exemption under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We spoke about this process, the case history, why it important, some of the potential drawbacks, and his outlook moving forward. It was a really interesting conversation and I hope you all enjoy it. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

YouTube: bit.ly/YT-UW

Rumble: bit.ly/Rum-UW

Apple : bit.ly/Appl-UW

Spotify: bit.ly/Spot-UW

“Andrew Michaels is a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center, and the author of "Ayahuasca and Religious Freedom" forthcoming in Pepperdine Law Review. He is an expert in intellectual property law, as well as the law of religious exemptions for Ayahuasca use in the United States under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. He aims to help guide the law regulating Ayahuasca use in the United States to develop in ways that allow and encourage the respectful and careful ceremonial use of this powerful brew.”

To learn more about or contact Andrew, including his paper, visit his website at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4988709

_________________________

To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_w

If you enjoy the show, it’s always a big help if you can share it with your own audiences via social media or word of mouth. If you’re watching on YouTube if you could take a second and Subscribe to the channel and Like the video and if you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, Follow the show and leave a starred rating and a short review. That would be super helpful with the algorithms and getting this show out to more people. Thank you in advance!

I will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:

November 2025: Sacred Valley of Peru (SOLD OUT)

January 2026: our second Remote Dieta

February 2026: Sacred Valley of Peru

July 2026: Westport, Ireland

November 2026: Sacred Valley of Peru

If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.org

Integration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.com

Patreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithin

YouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerks

PayPal, donate: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanik

Website: https://jasongrechanik.com