Source: NTDTV
A powerful hallucinogenic tea, brewed from leaves and vines from the Amazon rainforest, has been legalized by the Brazilian government for religious purposes.
It’s starting a controversy in the South American country.
The tea is used in the religions of Santo Daime and "Uniao do Vegetal."
The ayahuasca tea, which means "wine of the souls" in an Andean ancient language, has been used for centuries by indigenous people during spiritual and healing rituals.
The tea is known for its purgative, nauseating and hallucinogenic properties.
Its psychedelic active ingredient, DMT, is considered a Class A drug by the U.S. and the U.K. That’s the same label given to heroin and cocaine.
Brazil's national anti-drug body recently approved the consumption of the drink for religious rituals after decades of studies and talks with religious institutions.
[Pedro Delgado, Brazil’s Mental Health Department]:
"The criminalization of the use of the ayahuasca (tea) would be a disaster in my point of view because it would be an oppression against a centenary culture from the Amazon region, and there would also be all the inconveniences of criminalizing a behavior in general. So, we had two options, to legalize or criminalize it.”
The Brazilian government approved the use of the brew by men, women, even pregnant women, teenagers and children. The religious leaders will be responsible for whoever they approve to drink the infusion and the amount to be consumed.
Some politicians backed the government's decision, but others fear the measure could trigger the creation of new religions that use drugs such as LSD and marijuana or lead to a widespread use of the ayahuasca.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in Brazil says the government must pay attention to the consequences of the approval.