Amada Cardenas

Amada Sanchez Cardenas (1904 – 2005) was a Mexican-American woman, known for advocacy of the legalization of peyote for religious purposes and as the first federally licensed peyote dealer in the United States.

Early life and background Amada Sanchez was born on October 26, 1904, in Los Ojuelos, Texas, the daughter of Paula Guadiano and Ignacio Guerra.

In 1932, Amada Sanchez Cardena married Claudio Cardenas. It was in Mirando City that the Cardenas became involved in the peyote trade.

Becoming the first federally licensed dealer Amada's was introduced to the peyote trade by her father, who was a peyote trader in Los Ojuelos in the early 1900s. Despite their commitment, the Cardenases frequently encountered legal challenges related to peyote distribution. In 1953, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture advocated for a complete ban on peyote, Claudio Cardenas continued his efforts and was subsequently arrested by the FBI and detained in Laredo, Texas. The family sought the help of attorney Manuel J. Raymond, who, following the dismissal of charges against Claudio, initiated efforts to amend the Texas Narcotic Drug Act, ultimately removing "peyote" from the list of prohibited substances.

In 1968, Judge James Kazen of Texas's 49th District Court ruled that the state's peyote ban was unconstitutional when applied to sincere religious use by members of the Native American Church. His decision in State of Texas v. David Clark resulted in the case being dismissed and marked a key moment in the legal recognition of Native American religious rights. In 1969, the Texas Legislature responded by changing the law to allow members of the Native American Church to use peyote for religious purposes, as long as they had at least 25 percent Native American ancestry.