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Weeks after it was disclosed that American professional basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia over alleged possession of cannabis vape cartridges, top federal officials and lawmakers are stepping up pressure for a release\u2014even as tensions amid the country\u2019s invasion of Ukraine continue to escalate and despite the fact that marijuana\u2019s federally illegal status in the U.S. continues to incarcerate people over the plant.<\/p>\n
The WNBA player was reportedly caught with cannabis oil at an airport in Moscow last month. She was detained and is currently being held in a pretrial detention facility. Last week her detention was extended two months, until May 19, as Russian prosecutors build a case against her. Only recently have U.S. officials started to apply pressure for release and return amid a growing chorus of criticism from lawmakers and advocates.<\/p>\n
Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Friday that while \u201cthere\u2019s only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point, let me just say more generally, whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance, and that includes in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blinken also suggested that Russia is violating international law by not providing American officials with direct access to Griner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Russians are required to give us that access. They have not\u2014it has been denied,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cSo we are working very hard on getting it, on being able to get access to her, to hear directly from her how she\u2019s doing, and to make sure we\u2019re doing everything we can to see to it that her rights are being respected and upheld in the Russian system and in terms of international law.\u201d<\/p>\n On Brittney Griner, @StateDeptSpox<\/a>: \u201cWe’re deeply concerned about this case, in part because we’ve not yet been granted consular access\u2026Russia has an obligation under the Vienna Convention\u2026to allow our officials to see her. We’re going to continue to press for that.\u201d #AMRstaff<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Andrea Mitchell (@mitchellreports) March 17, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n A State Department spokesperson told<\/a> The Wall Street Journal last week that U.S. officials are\u00a0\u201cclosely engaged on this case and in frequent contact with Brittney Griner\u2019s legal team.\u201d<\/p>\n The circumstances behind Griner\u2019s case are complicated for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Russia is facing nearly global condemnation as it carries out attacks in neighboring Ukraine, leaving countless civilians and fighters dead in its push to seize control of regions of the country.<\/p>\n But with increased awareness of the basketball star\u2019s cannabis detention has come increased condemnation from key officials, lawmakers and advocates.<\/p>\n We cannot ignore the fact that if Brittney Griner wasn\u2019t a Black woman, it would be plastered across the news that she is being held as a political prisoner in Russia.<\/p>\n Free Brittney Griner.<\/p>\n \u2014 Cori Bush (@CoriBush) March 17, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Top Democrats on the Congressional Black Caucus also recently said that they are \u201cintensely engaged\u201d in talks about Griner\u2019s arrest and possible avenues for relief.<\/p>\n \u201cLet me be very clear: Brittney Griner is a United States citizen,\u201d Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) said at a briefing early this month. \u201cShe was a guest in Russia with the WNBA\u2014and I will be demanding her release.\u201d She added that \u201cthe fight is on,\u201d according<\/a> to Politico.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got our boxing gloves on, because we\u2019re not going to leave her without any ammunition,\u201d the congresswoman said.<\/p>\n When asked about Griner\u2019s case at a press conference earlier this month, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki declined to comment on the \u201cspecifics\u201d of the case, citing Privacy Act waiver requirements. \u201cBut the objective is always to bring American citizens home who are detained in foreign countries,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Today theGrio’s White House correspondent, April Ryan, inquired about an update on how the Biden admin. plans to bring WNBA star, Brittney Griner, back to the U.S. Griner remains detained in Russian jail after being stopped at an airport, allegedly in possession of cannabis oil. pic.twitter.com\/jMtUiROEpT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 theGrio.com (@theGrio) March 11, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also weighed in on the matter on social media, tweeting, simply, \u201cFree Brittney.\u201d<\/p>\n Free Brittney. https:\/\/t.co\/wqQrye2T3J<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) March 16, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Two other members of Congress\u2014Reps. Burgess Owens (R-UT) and Byron Donalds (D-FL)\u2014also sent a letter to the Biden administration urging action to resolve Griner\u2019s case.<\/p>\n The athlete \u201cremains in a Russian prison for violating the country\u2019s illegal substance laws.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEvery American\u2014regardless of their race, gender, or socioeconomic status\u2014must adhere to the rules of every sovereign nation,\u201d they said. \u201cWhile we are not here to call balls and strikes on Russian law, we are very concerned about Mrs. Griner\u2019s detention under the current and rapidly deteriorating circumstances in Russia and Eastern Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs the situation in Russia and Ukraine continues to deteriorate rapidly, we are deeply troubled by the Russian\u2019s handling of the unfortunate case regarding Brittney Griner. Mrs. Griner made a mistake in violating Russia\u2019s illegal substance laws, but her crime doesn\u2019t match the unjust punishment she faces as a pawn of the Russian government. As Putin runs his country into the ground, the United States government must ensure that no American falls hostage to a heinous and deranged dictator.\u201d<\/p>\n Griner allegedly broke Russian law because marijuana is illegal is Russia\u2014and the country has taken a particularly strong stance against reforming cannabis policy at the international level<\/a> through the United Nations. And it condemned<\/a> Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.<\/p>\n The deputy of Russia\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this month that legalization efforts in the U.S. and Canada are matters \u201cof serious concern for us,\u201d according to a social media post from the office\u2019s official account. \u201cIt is worrisome that several Member States of the [European Union] are considering violating their drug control obligations.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 MFA Russia But as more people voice support for her release and condemn Russia for holding her and extending her detention, it can\u2019t be ignored that Griner could similarly face prosecution for possessing cannabis oil under U.S. federal law.<\/p>\n \u201cBrittney Griner\u2019s imprisonment is a grotesque affront to the concept of justice. It is an unfortunate reminder of how draconic marijuana laws remain around the globe,\u201d Erik Altieri, executive director of NORML, told Marijuana Moment. \u201cHowever, it should also cause a level of reflection amongst our lawmakers considering that a large number of states still inflict similar penalties for marijuana possession on our own soil and the current federal policy of marijuana prohibition isn\u2019t notably different than the stance held by Putin\u2019s regime in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cElected officials in the United States should do all they can to free Griner, but just as important, use this as motivation to bring our domestic marijuana policies in line with our nation\u2019s stated principles of liberty and justice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Griner\u2019s situation is precarious, especially in the current political climate. But there are some who are encouraged by the increased attention to the case, expressing optimism that it could open the door for relief for other Americans who are being detained in Russia for unrelated reasons\u2014or could even increase pressure on the Biden administration to reform cannabis laws to display a greater contrast with Russian policy on the plant.<\/p>\n Ann Arbor Could Decriminalize Drugs With Student-Led Effort<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Lorie Shaull\/Wikimedia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post American Basketball Star Brittney Griner\u2019s Cannabis Arrest In Russia Prompts Top U.S. Officials To Speak Out<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Weeks after it was disclosed that American professional basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia over alleged possession of cannabis vape cartridges, top federal officials and lawmakers are stepping up pressure for a release\u2014even as tensions amid the country\u2019s invasion of Ukraine continue to escalate and despite the factContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":53716,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53715"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53715"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53715\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53717,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53715\/revisions\/53717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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Deputy FM #Syromolotov<\/a>: Legalization of free distribution of cannabis in the #US<\/a> & #Canada<\/a> is a matter of serious concern for us. It is worrisome that several Member States of the #EU<\/a> are considering violating their drug control obligations.<\/p>\n![\"👉\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/1f449.png\")
https:\/\/t.co\/3DDKgcUuVd<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/pVaeJIUKqv<\/a><\/p>\n![\"🇷🇺\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/1f1f7-1f1fa.png\")
(@mfa_russia) March 14, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n
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\nRead More: American Basketball Star Brittney Griner\u2019s Cannabis Arrest In Russia Prompts Top U.S. Officials To Speak Out<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"