Qualla: International Church of Cannabis

International Church of Cannabis: Introduction

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0. On the day the International Church of Cannabis opened in 2017, a Colorado state representative proposed legislation to ban cannabis consumption in churches. Dan Pabon admitted his bill was directly inspired by the new Denver institution. Members of both parties in the Colorado House rejected his proposal as an unconstitutional restriction on religion. The amendment was never formally introduced. In a state that had legalized recreational marijuana five years earlier, a church that treated cannabis as sacred had just won its first legal battle without even going to court.

Image: Jeffrey Beall | CC BY 4.0

International Church of Cannabis: The Elevationists

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit XxTechnicianxX, CC0. Members of the International Church of Cannabis call themselves Elevationists. They use what they call "the sacred flower" to accelerate self-discovery, and consider a member awakened when their cannabis experience becomes transcendental in nature. The faith claims no divine law ...

Image: XxTechnicianxX | CC0

International Church of Cannabis: From Condos to Cathedral

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit XxTechnicianxX, CC0. The building itself dates back more than a century in Denver's Washington Park neighborhood. In July 2015, a company co-owned by Steve Berke and his parents purchased the property intending to convert it into apartments. But Berke's colleagues and friends, who would become co-fou...

Image: XxTechnicianxX | CC0

International Church of Cannabis: Beyond the Sacred Flower

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit XxTechnicianxX, CC0. The church has evolved into something unexpected: a top-ten tourist attraction in Denver. The daily experience called "Beyond" draws visitors who may have no interest in cannabis at all. It is a guided meditation that uses cutting-edge lights and lasers, 3D-mapped to the mural pa...

Image: XxTechnicianxX | CC0

International Church of Cannabis: A New Kind of Sacred Space

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit XxTechnicianxX, CC0. The International Church of Cannabis occupies an unusual position in American religious life. It exists because Colorado voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, yet it operates under restrictions that keep it distinct from the commercial cannabis industry. Public consump...

Image: XxTechnicianxX | CC0