Oklahoma church confuses cilantro for marijuana, forces woman out

As a few church-goers confronted her, the woman was heard saying the herbs are meant as garnish for menudo, a Mexican soup. “Smell it, I promise you,” she offered. “I’m not like that, that’s why I’m so mad,” Ontiveros said, adding she would leave, but wanted the church-goers to confirm she didn’t have weed.

Sharing the clip on the platform, she captioned the video: “They didn’t even let me explain! They automatically just accused me!!”

According to LatinoFoodie.Com, ‘Menudo’ is made with tripe, typically signifies a celebration of sorts, and takes many hours to perfect. “It’s an important piece of the culture and is topped with seasonings like cilantro.”

The woman told KOCO Channel 5 that the bag also contained lime and onions. As the DOC allows it, members and guests usually share a meal after service, Ontiveros said, adding that she wanted to share a prepared meal with her sister and pointed out that she has attended the church several times before to see her sibling. “Threatened to call police just because I asked for the garnish back,” she added.

According to Oklahoman, church members later released a statement saying Ontiveros wasn’t just trying to share food with her sister, she was trying to give the meal to her sibling to take back to a correctional facility, which they couldn’t allow because it would violate DOC policy. Hence, the altercation occurred.

Numerous people took to social media to criticise the church for the manner in which Antiveros was treated and about the church members apparently confusing cilantro and oregano for marijuana.