Efforts of native Americans to make the consumption of peyote for religious purposes legal in the United States of America
Efforts of native Americans to make the consumption of peyote for religious purposes legal in the United States of America

Summary/Abstract: The article is focused on the situation which resulted from the sudden encounter of two completely different cultures – the culture of the native inhabitants of North America and the culture of the newcomers from Europe. It mainly describes the changes that occurred in the Indians’ lives, problems they had to face and a new cultural quality which emerged from the junction of the two civilizations. As an example, the development of a new Indian religion - Peyotism is considered, along with the efforts of its adherents to achieve full religious freedom which meant among other things, being free to consume peyote, a main element of this religion. Because of its hallucinogenic properties, this plant has aroused many controversies. It quickly started to be seen as a narcotic which resulted in the introduction of legislative bans on its consumption and possession. In consequence, there were many lawsuits in the Unites States (some of which are described in this article) which finally led to the legalization of the use of peyote for religious purposes.

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