The Divine Assembly's Anti-Hierarchy Shield
By having no hierarchy, no ceremonies, and no sanctioned use, the organization eliminates the institutional actor available for prosecution.
The Problem
Sacramental churches that 'distribute,' 'conduct ceremonies with,' or 'sanction use of' controlled substances have an institutional actor that prosecutors can target. The hierarchy itself becomes the vulnerability — leaders are personally liable, and the organization can be charged as a criminal enterprise.
The Solution
By operating as a 'mycelial network' with no hierarchy, no ceremonies, and explicitly refusing to 'conduct, sanction, or approve' any sacrament use, The Divine Assembly creates a structural legal shield. There is no institutional actor to prosecute. Members are autonomous individuals practicing 'DIY religion.' The organization facilitates spiritual community without directing any specific controlled substance activity. The organizational refusal to direct use is not a marketing posture — it is a deliberate legal architecture.
Legal Basis
First Amendment Free Exercise Clause + Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), combined with the structural reality that prosecutors typically need to prove organizational direction, conspiracy, or distribution for federal controlled substance charges. By eliminating organizational direction, the model attempts to keep all controlled substance activity at the individual member level rather than the church level.
Risk Assessment
Individual members remain fully exposed to federal Schedule I controlled substance law for any actual psilocybin possession or use. The Anti-Hierarchy Shield protects the organization, not the individual. The model also raises philosophical questions about what 'church' actually means without ceremonies or hierarchy — a sincere religious community arguably needs at least some shared practice. If the organization's religious sincerity is challenged, the absence of any hierarchy or directed practice could become a sword rather than a shield.