Ep. 174 - Andrew Michaels - Ayahuasca and Religious Freedom

Hey everybody! Episode 174 of the show is out. In this episode, I spoke with Andrew Michaels. I got to know Andrew when he came and worked with us. He’s an interesting guy with an interesting story. He is a lawyer by trade and recently released and will publish a paper entitled Ayahuasca and Religious Freedom. This is an important and prescient topic as ayahuasca is being brought to and worked with in the United States. Currently it is illegal and classified as a Schedule 1 drug. However there is now case law and precedent of groups attaining religious exemption under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. We spoke about this process, the case history, why it important, some of the potential drawbacks, and his outlook moving forward. It was a really interesting conversation and I hope you all enjoy it. As always, to support this podcast, get early access to shows, bonus material, and Q&As, check out my Patreon page below. Enjoy!

This episode is sponsored by Real Mushrooms. As listeners, visit their website to enjoy a discount of 25% off your first order: https://www.realmushrooms.com/universe

To learn more about or contact Sam, visit his websites at: https://lawayra.com

To learn more about our work, visit our website: https://NicotianaRustica.org

To view the recent documentary, Sacred Tobacco, about my work, visit: https://youtu.be/KB0JEQALI_w

I will be guiding our next plant medicine dietas with my colleague Merav Artzi (who I interviewed in episode 28) in:

November 2025: Sacred Valley of Peru (SOLD OUT)

January 2026: our second Remote Dieta

February 2026: Sacred Valley of Peru

July 2026: Westport, Ireland

November 2026: Sacred Valley of Peru

If you would like more information about joining us and the work I do or about future retreats, visit my site at: https://NicotianaRustica.org

Integration/Consultation call: https://jasongrechanik.setmore.com

Patreon: https://patreon.com/UniverseWithin

YouTube join & perks: https://bit.ly/YTPerks

PayPal donation: https://paypal.me/jasongrechanik

Website: https://jasongrechanik.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/JasonGrechanik

Facebook: https://facebook.com/UniverseWithinPodcast

Music: Nuno Moreno: https://m.soundcloud.com/groove_a_zen_sound & Stefan Kasapovski’s Santero Project: https://spoti.fi/3y5Rd4H