When meeting the mushroom priest of San Francisco, one must first pass two armed guards wearing bulletproof vests and then clear a metal detector. “There was a stabbing right outside this door the other week,” says Pastor Dave Hodges, the 42-year-old founder and leader of the Church of Ambrosia, which he describes as a non-denominational religious organization founded on the belief that cannabis and psilocybin mushrooms are sacraments that can be used as spiritual tools.

Founded five years ago in Oakland, Hodges recently opened the church’s second location in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood. “You see people smoking crack and shooting up, people overdosing,” Hodges says, explaining how his city is rife with crime and other street plagues. “You can see why we’re not the problem.”

Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2024/03/17/david-hodges-magic-mushroom-church-oakland-zide-door/?sh=45e7dd2e1cfc

Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.