Zide Door Closes San Francisco Location Amid Pressures

Zide Door, the San Francisco branch of the Church of Ambrosia, is set to close due to financial and regulatory pressures from the city's Planning Department. The church, which offers cannabis, mushrooms, and DMT as sacraments to its 120,000 members, cites harassment and excessive demands for structural upgrades as reasons for closure. Over $150,000 has already been spent on building improvements, but an additional $200,000 is required for window upgrades, which the church cannot afford. Pastor Dave Hodges claims this is part of a broader effort to shut down the church, potentially due to its use of psychedelics for religious purposes. Despite the closure in San Francisco, the church will continue operations at its original location in Oakland. The situation highlights broader issues with San Francisco's expensive building permit system and a challenging political climate for psychedelic use following legislative setbacks.