Golden Valley Woman Asks Court to Allow Marijuana Use per Church Beliefs
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - A Minnesota woman accused of violating probation says she should be able to use marijuana for religious reasons because she belongs to a pot-smoking church based in Indiana.
31-year-old Ashley Firnschild argues to the Hennepin County District Court that marijuana laws place an "undue burden" on her beliefs as a First Church of Cannabis member. The Golden Valley woman is accused of smoking marijuana and violating her probation on a drug charge.
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said in a statement that the First Amendment doesn't protect possessing or smoking marijuana.
The church was established earlier this year in a test of Indiana's new religious objections law. It has sued the city of Indianapolis and state of Indiana, claiming laws against possessing and using marijuana infringe on its religious beliefs.