![](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-41.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Bipartisan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require the State Department to explain to Congress why it has not designated a U.S. citizen incarcerated in Russia over medical marijuana possession, as well as other Americans detained abroad, as \u201cwrongfully detained.\u201d<\/p>\n
The legislation is titled the \u201cMarc Fogel Act,\u201d named after a teacher and former U.S. diplomat who is serving a 14-year sentence in Russia for possessing medical cannabis that he lawfully obtained as a registered patient in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers have worked several angles to get the State Department to classify him as a wrongfully detained individual, a designation that escalates diplomatic efforts to secure his release.<\/p>\n
Now Reps. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA) are seeking transparency in the process to force the federal government to provide documents and communications related to cases like Fogel\u2019s to understand exactly why he and others who\u2019ve been incarcerated abroad haven\u2019t received the upgraded diplomatic designation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Department has failed to do either and refused to explain its inaction\u2014effectively stonewalling my efforts to bring him home,\u201d Reschenthaler said<\/a> in a press release on Tuesday. \u201cThe Marc Fogel Act will provide transparency into the State Department\u2019s wrongful detainment determination process and help ensure that Americans imprisoned overseas are not forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more about the Marc Fogel Act: https:\/\/t.co\/xzknETyN4V<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) June 27, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Deluzio said that it\u2019s \u201cfar past time for the U.S. State Department to designate Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained in Russia, and this bill will help bring daylight into the process that the Department uses for cases like his and other Americans imprisoned overseas.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Fogel and his loved ones in Pennsylvania\u2019s 17th District deserve to know that their government hears them and is using every tool available to bring him home safely,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can strengthen that trust by designating detainment status accurately and by bringing more transparency into the process.\u201d<\/p>\n The bill<\/a> itself doesn\u2019t explicitly mention marijuana, but the press release notes that Fogel \u201cis serving a 14-year hard-labor sentence for possession of medical marijuana used to treat his severe back injury, a charge very similar to that of WNBA player Brittney Griner,\u201d who also served time in a Russian prison over possession of cannabis oil that she also lawfully obtained as a medical marijuana patient in Arizona.<\/p>\n Western Pennsylvanian Marc Fogel has been detained in Russia for nearly 2 yrs for a small amount of medical marijuana. <\/p>\n Proud to introduce the Marc Fogel Act today to help bring Marc home and shine light on the @StateDept<\/a> process used for Americans imprisoned overseas. pic.twitter.com\/vYqEBuoAw7<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Congressman Chris Deluzio (@RepDeluzio) June 27, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Unlike Fogel, Griner was designated by the State Department as wrongfully detained before being released as part of a prisoner swap<\/a> that the Biden administration negotiated.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder federal law, Fogel meets at least six of the eleven established criteria to be designated as wrongfully detained by the State Department. He has yet to be classified as wrongfully detained,\u201d the press release says. \u201cGriner was designated in less than three months after her arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken<\/a> earlier this month, imploring the administration to \u201cimmediately\u201d escalate diplomatic efforts to secure Fogel\u2019s return.<\/p>\n Late last year, more than two dozen members of Congress called on the State Department to step up diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Fogel<\/a>, calling his incarceration over marijuana that he used to treat chronic pain \u201cunconscionable.\u201d<\/p>\n The White House said last year it was actively investigating Fogel\u2019s case<\/a>, and lawmakers have been keeping the pressure on to ensure it\u2019s doing all that it can to secure his release.<\/p>\n When asked about the administration\u2019s work to secure the release of other Americans like Fogel who are imprisoned abroad, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre deferred to the State Department<\/a>, arguing that \u201cevery case is different\u201d and saying she didn\u2019t want to get ahead of any ongoing diplomatic efforts.<\/p>\n Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) also led a letter with other senators last year<\/a> that similarly asked the State Department to classify the citizen, an American teacher, as \u201cwrongfully detained.\u201d That came shortly after other bipartisan members of Pennsylvania\u2019s congressional delegation similarly pleaded with the State Department to escalate Fogel\u2019s case<\/a>, drawing parallels between his and Griner\u2019s cannabis-related convictions.<\/p>\n As State Department spokesperson Ned Price explained last year, officials take into account 11-point criteria when determining whether a given case amounts to a wrongful detention<\/a>. For example, if the U.S. has reason to believe that due process is being impaired, that the person was arrested solely because they are a U.S. national or that they are innocent of the stated charges, that would warrant a wrongful detention designation.<\/p>\n Russia, for its part, has taken a particularly strong stance against reforming cannabis policy at the international level<\/a> through the United Nations. And it condemned Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.<\/p>\n The deputy of Russia\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last year 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 Major Marijuana Industry Players Launch Super PAC To Advance Cannabis Reform As 2024 Election Heats Up<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Congressional Bill Pushes Biden Admin To Explain Why Medical Marijuana Patient And Others Jailed Abroad Aren\u2019t Considered \u2018Wrongfully Detained\u2019<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Bipartisan lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require the State Department to explain to Congress why it has not designated a U.S. citizen incarcerated in Russia over medical marijuana possession, as well as other Americans detained abroad, as \u201cwrongfully detained.\u201d The legislation is titled the \u201cMarc Fogel Act,\u201d namedContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":66284,"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\/66283"}],"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=66283"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66283\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66285,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66283\/revisions\/66285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
\n
\nMarijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills<\/a> in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters<\/a> pledging at least $25\/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don\u2019t miss any developments.<\/strong>
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/MM_Bill_Tracker_V5_blank-40.jpg\"){kind=tracking}
<\/a>
\nLearn more about our marijuana bill tracker<\/a> and become a supporter on Patreon<\/a> to get access.
\n\u2014<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\n
\nRead More: Congressional Bill Pushes Biden Admin To Explain Why Medical Marijuana Patient And Others Jailed Abroad Aren\u2019t Considered \u2018Wrongfully Detained\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"