Hallucinogenic tea at center of high court case

He said other countries could back off the international war on drugs, citing lax U.S. enforcement of the treaty.

Kneedler noted that peyote used by Native Americans is grown in America and used here.

The herbal hoasca brew is used in communion by the church, which has a blend of Christian beliefs and South American traditions.

Members believe they can understand God only by drinking the tea, which is consumed twice a month at four-hour ceremonies.

New justice asks tough questions
The Supreme Court argument was lively, with the new chief justice a particularly active questioner.

Roberts asked tough questions of both sides.

He suggested the Bush administration was demanding too much, a "zero tolerance approach."

Church members want "just the right to practice their religious faith as Congress guaranteed," said Nancy Hollander, the lawyer for the church that has a congregation in Santa Fe.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg suggested that justices could send the case back to a lower court without a ruling because the case is not final.

The appeal involves an injunction the church received to allow the tea.

No trial has been held yet.

The case is Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao Do Vegetal, 04-1084.

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