In brief
- An October public notice confirms approval of an agreement granting Iowaska state registration. The October 5 decision date comes from Clark Kauffman’s report.
- The report describes two stages and a sealed federal memorandum; those details are attributed to its reporting, without reading the agreement.
- According to Kauffman, state registration is on one-year probation and requires reporting certain incidents. The full order was not read.
The October official pharmacy-board notice confirms an agreement granting Iowa CSA-Business registration to Iowaska Church of Healing. Clark Kauffman’s October 13 report links it to the church’s religious ayahuasca request. State notice alone does not establish issuance or validity of federal permits. The account was published by Iowa Capital Dispatch and republished by KCRG; the administrative details below are attributed to that reporting unless identified as part of the official notice.
A Two-Step Process
Kauffman reports that, according to attorneys for the parties, a June court notification described a memorandum between DEA and the church concerning its religious request. The report links this to RFRA and agreed conditions. The filing and memorandum were not consulted, so they are not presented as primary documents verified here.
The report says the memorandum was requested under seal for privacy and security reasons. This review does not attempt to obtain it or reproduce member data, responsible individuals or storage safeguards. That access limitation is retained.
According to the report, the state order describes the agreement in relation to importing and preparing ayahuasca, followed by federal processing. Without the full order and later public federal documents, this review does not determine which certificates were actually issued or when. Reported wording about effective grant is not converted into a verified federal permit.
Conditions and Years of Litigation
Kauffman attributes to board records one-year probation and a duty to report ceremonial incidents requiring off-site medical intervention. The short official notice confirms state registration but does not reproduce those detailed conditions; they were not checked against the full order.
The report summarizes years of tax litigation and DEA requests, including a 2023 ruling and later delay allegations. This is context attributed to Kauffman; underlying judicial and tax records were not reviewed and current case status is not certified.
The report identifies DMT in ayahuasca as federally Schedule I; this review is not an assessment of individual permits or exemptions.
What This Implies
State registration established by the notice does not establish that the church or others may import, manufacture or use ayahuasca under currently valid federal permits. Nor is it asserted that none have ever been issued: issuance and current status were not verified. Terms of the sealed memorandum remain outside this review’s access.
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.
