From the National Post:

Mother Teresa, Pierre Berton and “the tree of life” were all invoked Wednesday as spiritual guideposts by a senior member of a Toronto church seeking a religious exemption to the country’s marijuana laws.

The references were part of testimony by Brother Peter Styrsky in Ontario Superior Court, as he explained his transformation from agitated delivery driver to a more spiritually content person as a minister within the Church of the Universe.

“I used to be very angry,” Mr. Styrsky said. The affable witness explained that his life changes were due in part to marijuana use. “It is a high. But it is not just recreational. It’s like a connection to God.”

For the first time, a court in Canada is being asked to set out a framework to decide whether a group and its practices qualify for Charter protection on religious grounds.

Apparently, the Church of the Universe has about 4,000 members in Canada; it could overtake the Anglican Church of Canada in the near future.