THE First Church of Cannabis which preaches the healing powers of pot has won its right to spread its groovy gospel.

    Bill Levin, 59, founded the church March 26 and it has already clocked up over 700 members.

    Members of the congregation, called “Cannabiterians,” say they smoke marijuana to connect more closely with themselves and others.

    They pay £30 (US$50) for a 12-month membership and sell “Holy Rollers” rolling paper to raise money for the church.

    The church has weed instead of wine and a “pooh-bah” in place of a pastor, who preaches the power of weed to heal the world.

    And last month, the Internal Revenue Service deemed the Indianapolis-based church a charity.

    It means that donors can deduct gifts made to the church on federal tax returns and, when the cannabis congregation finds a location, it will be eligible for a property tax exemption — even though marijuana is illegal in the state of Indiana.

    After launching a GoFundMe page to raise money to lease a building for worship, the church has so far collected more than £7,000.

    “We don’t want to poison people. We want to see them healthy. And cannabis is the healthiest plant on Earth,” Levin said.

    “Our church will not buy, sell or trade in the product.

    “But we will encourage our members to enjoy the plant in our church, which is a sanctuary, a safe zone.”

    Worshippers believe in the “Deity Dozen” — a list of 12 tenets for living a good life — which is the cannabis congregation’s equivalent of the Ten Commandments.(SD-Agencies)