Members of a Brazilian-based religious-sect have asked a federal judge to rule a tea used in the group's gatherings to be exempt from U.S. narcotics laws.
The Union of the Vegetable, which has U.S. headquarters in Santa Fe, claims the drinking of hoasca should be protected by the Constitution as a part of its religion.
The tea, which is brewed from two plants found in South America, is hallucinogenic, the Drug Enforcement Administration said.
"That's a hallucinogenic drug," DEA agent Lou Kilgas said. "It has hallucinogenic properties similar to LSD. It's a Schedule 1 controlled substance.
"It's a mind-altering drug, so that the user can visualize anything from a beautiful array of colors to horrifying nightmare-type death experiences."
The group's hoasca was seized by federal agents in 1999.
Jeffrey Bronfman, the U.S. president of the Union of the Vegetable, said in testimony Monday that the inability to use hoasca in religious practices has caused him irreparable damage.
He claimed the tea is used in the group's form of communion and that it gives them a religious experience.
Bronfman declined comment to a reporter, as did federal prosecutors.