John Rapp

John Rapp is the lawyer in A trip to the magic mushroom megachurch who advises psychedelic churches on formation, defense, counseling, warning, and legal risk. The source contrasts his conventional legal background with his current work helping Psychedelic Churches understand Religious Controlled-Substance Exemption, the Controlled Substances Act, and the DEA Exemption Process.

The episode also gives Rapp a personal motivation. His son struggled with opioid addiction for more than a decade and died in 2020; Rapp later tried ayahuasca after learning that his son had found relief in such ceremonies, and he says the experience changed his view of psychedelics and grief.

Connections

• Zydor Church and Dave Hodges - church and founder whose legitimacy Rapp defends.
• Psychedelic Churches - movement he advises.
• Myers Test - legal criteria he uses to make religious practice legible.
• Drug Enforcement Administration and DEA Exemption Process - regulatory process he warns churches about.
• Native American Church and Supreme Court - precedent branch he uses to explain religious exemptions.
• Psychedelic Church Harm Reduction and Medical Risk Management - source frame for why he treats access as safer than some illicit or legal alternatives.