Ian Benouis, Co-Founder, Church of Psilomethoxin
Greg Fonzo, Co-Director, Center for Psychedelic Research and Therapy, Dell Medical School, University of Texas at Austin
Alex Dominguez, Texas State Representative
Amy Rising, Veteran Healthcare Advocate
Ethan Rocke, Journalist (moderator)
Over 44 veterans per day (16,060 per year) take their lives daily by suicide, as they are unable to reintegrate back into society, scarred by the horrors of war and violence. They suffer from trauma, depression, anxiety, Traumatic Brain Injury, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), and panic attacks, while also dealing with physical injuries. These numbers get magnified by the addition of civilian lives lost due to similar traumatic events and mental disorders, as suicide comes at the top of the leading causes of death in the U.S.
This book is a deep dive into the definition of religion under the First Amendment in light of the sacramental consumption of entheogens, the nature of the primary religious/mystical experience effectuated through the sacramental consumption of entheogens, and the ever-developing historical record evidencing world-wide use of these sacraments in ancient times.
The panel features three US military veterans, each of whom has worked for organizations that promote awareness and treatment of mental health issues among veterans, with particular emphasis on the use of psychedelic-assisted treatments. Following introductory remarks from each of the panelists, the meeting was devoted to Q&A.
Ian Benouis is a West Point graduate, former Army officer and Blackhawk helicopter pilot who participated in Operation Just Cause in the Republic of Panama.
He is patient number one, General Counsel at the Mission Within spearheading the veterans treatment program where over 350 Navy SEALS and other special operators have been successfully treated with iboga and toad (5-meo-dmt) for PTSD, addiction and TBI.
Phil is a former jailer and police officer in Texas for 13 years who found natural healing through yoga, cannabis and other earth medicines. We cover PTSD, suicide, childhood trauma, the War on Drugs, asset forfeiture, police reform and funding, and what needs to change in Texas and nationally going forward to reclaim our country. […]
Dave is a veteran cannabis advocate and previous dispensary owner in California.
We dive deep in to the story of how his church was raided, Prop 215, Prop 64, Measure Z, asset forfeiture, the War on Drugs, the Portugal experiment, medicine churches, decriminalization, federal descheduling and rescheduing and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
We go all the way down the rabbit hole and come back out with fresh tails and perspectives and how to dig our way out of the drug war we are waging against our own selves.
When a soldier brings back trauma from the battlefield, there’s no single reliable way to help them integrate back into society. Everybody needs a different approach. For Ian Benouis, he rediscovered the power of plant medicines after his exit from the military and as he was working his way through law school. It led him on a path to introduce other veterans to plant medicines by organizing trips for them and as a lawyer activist working with a number of plant medicine organizations and churches.
What does it take to start and operate an entheogenic church legally? Today we are joined by two attorneys involved in legitimizing entheogenic churches: Greg Lake and Ian Benouis! Both local Texans and servants of the plant medicine movement in America, they come from different backgrounds and offer unique insight into the legal process behind […]
Dave and Jason are combat veterans and twenty plus year career soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively and then after retiring received medical disability for their service.
They are both advocates and activists in Texas for natural healing with cannabis and other psychedelic medicines.
Dave and Jason share their personal healing journeys, insights and visions in to the decriminalization, medicalization and legalization of cannabis and entheogens in Texas and nationally.
Ian Benouis 