In December 2024, Stav Tsur (JD 2026) and Alec Mayes (JD 2026), students of the International Human Rights Center, submitted a communication before the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights regarding the Italian Ministry of Health’s decision to include ayahuasca in Table 1 of Decree n.309/199, which lists narcotic and psychotropic prohibited substances. Ayahuasca is a concoction used by indigenous people in south and central America, and in ritual practices around the world, the plants that are used to make it, and their active components. The Communication alleges violation of the right to participate in cultural life (Article15(1)(a)) and the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications (Article 15(1)(b)) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It was submitted on behalf of a member of the Santo Daime community. Santo Daime is a universalistic religious practice characterized by syncretism and exchange with other spiritual practices. It incorporates elements of several religious or spiritual traditions, mainly folk Catholicism, indigenous spirituality, European esoterism, and Afro-Brazilian religions.
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