The ruling was made in the case of Jeffrey Bronfman, president of the O Centro Espirita Beneficiente Uniao do Vegetal church. He sued the U.S. Justice Department after Custom agents seized 30 gallons of hoasca tea from his Santa Fe, N.M. office, where the church's U.S. operations are based.

Hoasca tea contains a hallucinogen prohibited under the federal Controlled Substances Act. The church uses the tea in certain religious ceremonies. It is brewed from plants found only in the Amazon River Basin.

The appeals court ruled that the sacramental use of the tea is protected under freedom-of-religion laws. The U.S. Attorney General, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other government agencies sought court action to stop the church's use of the tea.

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