The Religious Uses of Licit and Illicit Psychoactive Substances in a Branch of the Santo Daime Religion

Authors

  • Edward MacRae Lecturer in Anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.v2i3.393

Keywords:

Ayahuasca, cannabis, drugs, entheogens, religion, ritual use, Santa Maria, Santo Daime

Abstract

The article deals with the different effects of tolerant and prohibitionist policies associated with psychoactive substance use in Brazil. Whereas the licit use of ayahuasca has been successfully incorporated into mainstream Brazilian society, the ritual use of cannabis by one of the Santo Daime religious groups has never been fully accepted and remains a constant source of problems for the ayahuasca churches, their followers and society at large.

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Author Biography

  • Edward MacRae, Lecturer in Anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA)

    Edward MacRae lectures in anthropology at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA). He is also an associate researcher at the Centre for Drug Abuse Studies and Therapy (CETAD/ UFBA). His main teaching and research interests at the moment deal with themes related to the social anthropology of drug use in general with a special emphasis on the ritual use of ayahuasca in the Santo Daime religion.

References

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Published

2008-11-27

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

MacRae, E. (2008). The Religious Uses of Licit and Illicit Psychoactive Substances in a Branch of the Santo Daime Religion. Fieldwork in Religion, 2(3), 393-414. https://doi.org/10.1558/firn.v2i3.393