In brief
- The Iowa Board of Pharmacy agreed on October 5, 2026, to grant the Iowaska Church of Healing its state registration certificate.
- This is the second step in the DEA’s religious exemption process; the first was a confidential agreement signed with the agency, disclosed to the court in June.
- The certificate remains on a one-year probationary period, and the church must report certain medical incidents occurring during its ceremonies.
An Iowa-based church focused on ayahuasca is closer to being able to legally import the substance and prepare tea for its ceremonies with federal backing. The state’s Board of Pharmacy approved the state registration required for the DEA to process the necessary permits on October 5, as reported by the Iowa Capital Dispatch on October 13.
A Two-Step Process
According to attorneys for the Department of Justice and the church, the religious exemption to the federal Controlled Substances Act is handled in two stages. The first was resolved in June 2026: the Department of Justice informed the court that the DEA and the Iowaska Church of Healing had signed a “memorandum of agreement.” According to the parties, this text recognizes the church’s right, protected by the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), to practice its ayahuasca sacrament “subject to agreed-upon conditions.”
The contents of the agreement are not public. Both parties requested that it be filed with the court under seal, arguing that it includes personal data of members, the names of those who will handle the controlled substance, storage security measures, and the methods for importation.
The second stage was the state registration. In its resolution, the Board of Pharmacy states that the confidential agreement “effectively grants” the church a federal certificate to import concentrated ayahuasca paste and another to manufacture the tea in large quantities. Afterward, according to the parties, the DEA would process the necessary exemptions, registrations, and permits.
Conditions and Years of Litigation
Board records indicate that the state certificate will be on probation for one year. The church must notify the Board of any adverse incidents involving a participant in its ayahuasca ceremonies that require medical intervention outside the premises.
The church was incorporated in Iowa in September 2018. In January 2019, it applied for tax-exempt status from the IRS, which was denied on the grounds that its use of ayahuasca was illegal. The church sued in 2021; in March 2023, a federal judge ruled in favor of the IRS, noting that the DEA had not yet granted any exemption. Meanwhile, the church continued to petition the DEA for that exemption. This year, it returned to court, arguing that the government had failed to act for more than five years. DEA attorneys responded that the agency was still diligently reviewing the request, though they admitted no decision had been reached.
DMT, a component of ayahuasca, is listed under the federal Schedule I of controlled substances.
What This Implies
What exists is a chain of administrative steps, not a permit already issued: the federal certificates have not yet been granted. Because the memorandum is confidential, the specific conditions accompanying it remain unknown. The sources consulted did not specify when the DEA permits might be issued.
To learn more about this plant and its pharmacology, you can consult our Ayahuasca and DMT Guide.
Source
- Clark Kauffman / Iowa Capital Dispatch (via KCRG). Secret deal with feds moves Iowa church closer to use of controlled substances. Iowa Capital Dispatch, October 13, 2026.
Educational content written from a harm reduction perspective and with respect for individual freedom. It is not a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional and is not intended to encourage or condemn any drug use.
