Brittney Griner's Ordeal Should Inspire U.S. Cannabis Law Changes: NORML
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) on Thursday praised the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner from a Russian penal colony, where she was serving a sentence for possession of cannabis oil.
The group also called on U.S. lawmakers to use her ordeal as motivation to change domestic cannabis laws.
President Joe Biden said during a Thursday morning announcement at the White House that Griner will be returning home. Biden was joined by Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, when he shared the news that the star athlete was on a plane headed back to the United States following a prisoner exchange involving Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
"Brittney Griner's imprisonment has been a grotesque affront to the concept of justice, and it has served as an unfortunate reminder of how draconic marijuana laws remain around the globe," Erik Altieri, NORML Executive Director, said in a statement.
He continued, "However, it should also cause a serious 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't notably different than the stance held by [President Vladimir] Putin's regime in Russia."
Griner had spent 10 months in a Russian prison following her arrest in February at a Moscow airport for possession of vape canisters containing cannabis oil. In August, a Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison.
During legal proceedings, Griner's Russian defense team argued she had used cannabis to treat pain. The attorney also called on a narcology expert who testified that in some countries medical cannabis is widely used by athletes for treating injuries. (Medical and recreational use of marijuana is illegal in Russia.)
"I think this situation illustrates the degree to which cannabis policies and their enforcement are now largely a function of geography—both in the United States and abroad," Paul Armentano, Deputy Director of NORML, told Newsweek via email.
"Whether the cannabis plant and those who consume it are either embraced or whether they are criminally targeted is a reflection of geographic boundaries," Armentano said. "Even in the United States, certain cannabis-related behaviors—such as the commercial cultivation and sale of cannabis—are legalized and applauded in some states while those same activities in another state can yield years or even life in prison."
Armentano said "disparate policies and attitudes" in the U.S. illustrate how laws targeting cannabis were "never based on objective facts or legitimate concerns regarding public safety, but in fact were motivated by culture warring and by efforts to stigmatize certain ethnic and demographic groups."
Altieri wrote in his statement that the troubles Griner faced in Russia underscore the changes that should occur in American laws.
"Brittney Griner very much deserved to be released and brought home, but our elected officials in the United States must use this as motivation to bring our domestic marijuana policies in line with our nation's stated principles of liberty and justice," Altieri said.