Oakland church that promotes psychedelic mushrooms sues city over police raid

OAKLAND, Calif - An Oakland church that promotes the use of psychedelic mushrooms and cannabis, filed a lawsuit against the city of Oakland and the Oakland police department over a police raid two years ago. 

Oakland police raided the Zide Door Church of Entheogenic Plants and confiscated $200,000 worth of cannabis, psychedelic mushrooms, and cash, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.  

The church said they have not to recover the drugs, money, and the computers from the Police Department. 

Police said they raided the building, at 1216 10th Ave., because they received reports that the church was operating as a cannabis dispensary without a permit. 

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The church claimed that the police raid violated its constitutional and religious freedoms, according to the lawsuit. 

Dave Hodges, the church's founder, told the Chronicle that they don't sell drugs. Instead, church members would pay a $5 membership fee per month to receive the church's "sacrament", cannabis and mushrooms grown by the church. 

Up to 200 people come to the church to pick up cannabis or mushrooms, the Chronicle wrote. 

The Zide Door Church of Entheogenic Plants follows a nondenominational, interfaith religion, the Church of Ambrosia, according to their website. 

They believe that psychedelic mushroom is the reason for the evolution of human communication and the concept of religion.