Jamie Larkin, executive director of Ayahuasca Canada, says it stung to be removed from the Companionship of the Sacred Vine, but opened the door for further advocacy work with Ayahuasca Canada. Photo by Logan MacLean /The GuardianArticle contentAbout a year after one of its members gave a presentation to a Charlottetown council committee, a shamanic religious group has lost its permit to legally use ayahuasca in Canada.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe Companionship of the Sacred Vine (CSV), based in Denholm, Que. with members across Canada, received a permit from Health Canada to use the psychedelic ayahuasca plant in shaman-led ceremonies. The process to get this permit took over two years, with consultations between members and religious leaders in Peru.Article contentArticle contentArticle contentThe process to legally obtain ayahuasca took more time, getting bogged down in logistics before the organization could actually serve any of its members, said founder Allan Finney in a Sept. 24 Guardian interview.Article content“We’ve never been able to serve ayahuasca under our exemption because, first thing, they refused to add our supplier, and now they’ve revoked our exemption. It’s just been ridiculous.”Article contentIn November of 2024, Health Canada sent a notice of intent to revoke the permit to Companionship of the Sacred Vine leadership, citing a pair of videos that suggest the organization’s religious use was not sincere: one that Finney made before the exemption was approved to drum up support for legal ayahuasca ceremonies and another featuring a presentation to Charlottetown council members by Jamie Larkin.Article contentRevocation decisionArticle contentFinney was surprised to see his video included as a sign that the original application was insincere, since he made it to lobby for ayahuasca use and sent it to federal bureaucrats during the application process. Health Canada later approved the permit despite the video, he said.Article contentArticle contentFinney also challenged the role of the Larkin presentation to council. Larkin was not acting as an official spokesperson for the organization but was at council as a regional director for Ayahuasca Canada, an education and information group that lobbies for ayahuasca use, Finney said.Article contentArticle content“Jamie Larkin was not involved in our application process. I didn’t know Jamie when we put in our application. He wasn’t part of the committee. He wasn’t part of anything. He had no idea what was said in our application.”Article contentOn advice of lawyers, the Companionship of the Sacred Vine kicked Larkin out of the organization in an attempt to appease Health Canada, though Finney says he disagreed with the decision.Article contentIt made no difference, as the Sept. 5 Health Canada revocation letter notes Larkin’s removal and says it was insufficient to convince them the organization’s religion was sincere or that Companionship of the Sacred Vine and Ayahuasca Canada are not connected. Finney’s video notes that Finney started Ayahuasca Canada, the letter said.
Ayahuasca church loses permit after presentation to Charlottetown committee
