COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV/Gray News) – A church in Colorado has drawn attention for handing out magic mushrooms to congregants for free.
The Psychedelic Church of Colorado Springs, situated in a seemingly normal El Paso County house, has been open for a year. In that time, it has gained more than 300 members.
The church’s founder is Benji Dezaval. He said he is legally allowed to hand out the psychedelic mushrooms due to a law passed by Coloradans in 2023. The law decriminalizes the gifting and consumption of psilocybin natural medicines.
Dezaval said steps were taken to make sure he was legally compliant and courteous before opening in Feb. 2024.
“I made sure it was OK with my neighbors,” Dezaval said. “Then I called the El Paso County Sheriff and said, ‘Hey, this is what I want to do, I’m letting you know.’ I’m just making sure I’m doing everything right. I’m not trying to be this mindless hippie who just wants to do what I want to do at the expense of others. I’m trying to help people.”
Dezaval said he and his congregation recognize three universal truths detailed on his website, which is what allows his home to be considered a church.
The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said in part that there “does appear to be one neighbor who is upset at the church, but deputies have not found any criminal behavior.”
Dezaval said not all of the church’s members take part in the natural medicines.
Those who do take the offerings receive a safety lecture.
Dezaval said members can choose to take the natural medicines home with them or at church events.
According to the church’s website, dosing starts with microdoses and can range all the way up to a few grams. The church also offers Dimethyltryptamine, also known as DMT, which Dezaval said must be done on-site.
“It’s very easy to hear the words ‘Psychedelic Church of Colorado Springs’ and have a lot of immediate conclusions,” church member Ryan Lohmeyer said. “You would think that you would come here, and people have their pupils wrapped around their foreheads and everybody’s tripping … it is far from that. All the times that I’ve come here, I’ve never had that kind of experience.”
Dezaval said he is pushing for the church to be recognized federally as a religious organization after the IRS declined his request to be recognized as such.
He said receiving that status would allow the church to apply for federal loans and grants, which he said are needed to accommodate the church’s growth.
He said he plans to appeal an IRS decision which deemed the entity a social club.
Psilocybin magic mushrooms are still illegal at the federal level.
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