On May 25, the Sacred Source Sanctuary sued the city of San Diego in federal court over the local police's February raid on the church, which describes itself as “an open faith church, whose members gather at their worship center to practice their religious faith, which has cannabis as its central sacrament.”

On February 1, the San Diego Police Department “invaded the sanctuary of the temple, detained members of the church, and seized church’s sacramental cannabis,” states the complaint. In April, the city notified the church that it was violating local land use laws.

On January 4, Attorney General Jeff Sessions “issued a memorandum to all United States Attorneys rescinding prior limits and restrictions on federal prosecutors to bring and prosecute marijuana-related” violations, says the complaint. The federal law takes precedence over the state law, says the complaint. The court should slap on a permanent injunction barring the city from taxing the church’s distribution of marijuana, says the suit.