{"id":55787,"date":"2022-07-08T09:10:05","date_gmt":"2022-07-08T17:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/07\/08\/white-house-affirms-brittney-griner-is-wrongfully-detained-after-guilty-plea-in-russian-cannabis-case-prompting-calls-for-domestic-reform\/"},"modified":"2022-07-08T20:45:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-09T04:45:43","slug":"white-house-affirms-brittney-griner-is-wrongfully-detained-after-guilty-plea-in-russian-cannabis-case-prompting-calls-for-domestic-reform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2022\/07\/08\/white-house-affirms-brittney-griner-is-wrongfully-detained-after-guilty-plea-in-russian-cannabis-case-prompting-calls-for-domestic-reform\/","title":{"rendered":"White House Affirms Brittney Griner Is \u2018Wrongfully Detained\u2019 After Guilty Plea In Russian Cannabis Case, Prompting Calls For Domestic Reform"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The White House is maintaining that WNBA star Brittney Griner is \u201cwrongfully detained\u201d in Russia even after she pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing cannabis vape cartridges<\/a> in the country. But as American officials continue to seek her release, questions are being raised about whether federal marijuana prohibition in the U.S. is undermining its position in the case.<\/p>\n

Some wondered whether Griner\u2019s guilty plea to a charge punishable by up to 10 years in prison would impact the State Department\u2019s earlier designation of the athlete as a wrongfully detained American national. But at a briefing on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly affirmed that the U.S. stance has not changed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that the Russian Federation has wrongfully detained Brittney Griner, and she is in intolerable circumstances right now,\u201d Jean-Pierre said. \u201cWe are going to do everything that we can\u2014the president has this top of mind\u2014to make sure that we get Brittney home safely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been clear from day one that, when it comes to U.S. nationals who are being held abroad, who are being held wrongfully, detained wrongfully, who have been held hostage, we are going to do everything that we can [and] use every means that we have to bring them home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Reforms to U.S. federal marijuana policies wouldn\u2019t change the fact that Russia enforces severe penalties for marijuana, but the ongoing criminalization of cannabis domestically hasn\u2019t gone ignored by Russian officials.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the country\u2019s foreign minister has made clear that they feel there was nothing improper about the athlete\u2019s February detention at a Moscow airport<\/a>, and he made a point to say that marijuana possession is also \u201cpunishable in some U.S. states.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maritza Perez, director of the office of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, told Marijuana Moment that \u201cthe U.S. exported the drug war across the globe and Brittney Griner is the latest high-profile victim of these policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are several factors that can lead the U.S. to classify someone as a \u201cwrongfully detained\u201d person in a foreign country, so it\u2019s possible that officials aren\u2019t basing the designation on the question of innocence of guilt, per se. It could be the case that they believe Griner is being held for political reasons amid ongoing tension over Russian\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, or as leverage to negotiate a prisoner swap.<\/p>\n

A Moscow correspondent for NPR who has been in the courtroom covering the case speculated that it may have been a letter that President Joe Biden sent to Griner that influenced her to make a guilty plea as a diplomatic strategy.<\/p>\n

\n

US Embassy\u2019s Elizabeth Rood confirms she delivered letter from President Biden to #BrittneyGriner<\/a> at trial in Moscow today. My best guess from inside the courtroom: it played a role in Griner\u2019s decision to make her guilty plea. Russia says no prisoner swap until after verdict. pic.twitter.com\/buldueCMbP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Charles Maynes (@cwmiii3) July 7, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

In any case, advocates say that situation underscores the need to end marijuana prohibition at the federal level, to serve as an example to other countries that also continue to criminalize people over cannabis. Biden himself campaigned on unfulfilled promises to reform marijuana laws.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust like the U.S. set the drug war precedent, it must be the leader in dismantling its harms,\u201d DPA\u2019s Perez said. \u201cEnding federal marijuana prohibition is a common-sense first step. If marijuana had been legalized in the U.S., this country would be better positioned to fight for her release and other countries would undoubtedly also move away from drug war policies like marijuana prohibition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justin Strekal, founder of the BOWL PAC, echoed that point, telling Marijuana Moment that the \u201cBiden administration would have more credibility in their efforts to save Brittney Griner if they followed through on their campaign promise to domestically decriminalize marijuana at the federal level and pardon those who have been previously convicted.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Disclosure: Strekal supports Marijuana Moment\u2019s work through a\u00a0monthly pledge on Patreon<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Morgan Fox, political director of NORML, told Marijuana Moment that the Biden administration \u201cshould be commended for making the release of Brittany Griner a diplomatic priority, although I hope that it follows through on this matter more seriously and effectively than it has on the President\u2019s other cannabis-related promises.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one should be imprisoned over cannabis, and BG doesn\u2019t deserve to lose many years of her life over this any more than she deserves being used as a geopolitical bargaining chip,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce she is released, I hope that this unfortunate situation forces the Administration to reflect on the fact that there are still places in this country with cannabis policies as draconian as those in Russia, and federal law isn\u2019t that much better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biden recently read a handwritten letter from Griner that asked that the administration not forget about her case or \u201cthe other American detainees\u201d in Russia. \u201cPlease do all you can to bring us home,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n

The president also called the wife of Griner on Wednesday to assure her that the U.S. was doing all that it could to secure the her release. However, those efforts have been complicated by the ongoing international tension over Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, a\u00a0letter\u00a0signed by nearly 1,200 Black women leaders was delivered to Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, imploring the administration to act quickly to bring Griner home. The daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., Bernice King, and former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile were among the signatories.<\/p>\n

Rev. Al Sharpton, Griner\u2019s wife Cherelle and WNBA players are holding a press conference on Friday to further draw attention to the case and advocate for the athlete\u2019s release.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrittney has admitted to making a mistake, and I hope the Russian authorities recognize that humbling act and respond with compassion,\u201d Sharpton said. \u201cShe is in the fight of her life right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the circumstances around the case are complicated, especially in light of the formal admission of guilt. Russia has taken a particularly strong stance\u00a0against reforming cannabis policy at the international level<\/a>\u00a0through the United Nations. And it\u00a0condemned<\/a>\u00a0Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.<\/p>\n

The deputy of Russia\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in March 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

\n

Arkansas Marijuana Campaign Submits Double The Signatures Needed To Qualify Legalization Ballot Initiative<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

Image element courtesy of Lorie Shaull\/Wikimedia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post White House Affirms Brittney Griner Is \u2018Wrongfully Detained\u2019 After Guilty Plea In Russian Cannabis Case, Prompting Calls For Domestic Reform<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


\n
\nRead More: White House Affirms Brittney Griner Is \u2018Wrongfully Detained\u2019 After Guilty Plea In Russian Cannabis Case, Prompting Calls For Domestic Reform<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The White House is maintaining that WNBA star Brittney Griner is \u201cwrongfully detained\u201d in Russia even after she pleaded guilty to unlawfully possessing cannabis vape cartridges in the country. But as American officials continue to seek her release, questions are being raised about whether federal marijuana prohibition in the U.S.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[99,18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55787"}],"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=55787"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55787\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55788,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55787\/revisions\/55788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}