Why The Singularity Church of the Toad and Breathwork Is Fighting the DEA — And Why It Matters

In July 2023 (with a January 2024 addendum), The Singularity Church of the Toad and Breathwork — doing business as The Singularity Church of the Toad and Breathwork — filed a formal petition with the Drug Enforcement Administration invoking the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) — the same federal law that protects the Native American Church's sacramental use of peyote. We asked the DEA to recognize our sincere religious use of 5-MeO-DMT and Sacred Mushroom as constitutionally protected. On December 18, 2024, the DEA denied that petition. In September 2026, the church and its founder filed Pavia et al. v. DEA et al., No. 5:26-cv-05686-FB (W.D. Tex.). The founder is proceeding pro se and the church is seeking licensed counsel.

This is not a stunt. It is a carefully considered legal strategy grounded in decades of religious freedom precedent.

What Is RFRA and Why Does It Apply?

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 prohibits the federal government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion unless it can demonstrate a compelling governmental interest and uses the least restrictive means of furthering that interest.

In plain language: the government cannot criminalize sincere religious practice without a very good reason — and "we've always done it this way" is not enough.

The Supreme Court affirmed this principle in Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal (2006), ruling unanimously that the federal government could not prohibit a Brazilian-American church from using ayahuasca as a sacrament. That case is the direct legal ancestor of ours.

The Singularity Church of the Toad and Breathwork meets every threshold the courts have established for a sincere religious organization. Our ceremonies are not recreational. They are not commercial. They are the central sacramental practice of a church with a founding story, a statement of beliefs, a screening process, and a community of members who have experienced profound healing and spiritual transformation.

What We're Asking the Courts to Do

Following the DEA's December 2024 denial, the church and its founder filed Pavia et al. v. DEA et al., No. 5:26-cv-05686-FB (W.D. Tex.) in September 2026, seeking a federal injunction to protect our members' right to practice sincerely held religious ceremonies without government interference. This is a standard legal tool in religious freedom cases with a strong track record.

What a Win Means

A favorable ruling would do more than protect The Singularity Church of the Toad and Breathwork. It would establish a legal precedent that any sincere religious organization in America can invoke to protect its sacramental practices.

This matters because we are not alone. Across the country, dozens of churches, healing centers, and spiritual communities are navigating the same legal uncertainty. A win here creates a roadmap for all of them.

Why We Need Your Support

Federal litigation is expensive. Filing costs, expert witnesses, and court expenses add up quickly. We are a church, not a corporation — we do not have institutional backers or venture capital. We have our community.

Every dollar donated to the Legal Defense Fund goes directly to the legal fight.