A lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is jailed in Russia on drug charges, presented a court on Friday with a doctor’s letter recommending she use cannabis to treat pain.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and standout for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February after customs officials said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on charges of transportation of drugs.
Griner last week in court acknowledged possessing the canisters, but said she had no criminal intent and claimed the canisters’ presence was due to hasty packing. In Russia’s judicial system, admitting guilt doesn’t automatically end a trial.
Since the guilty plea, her court sessions have focused on in-person and written testimonies to her good character and athletic prowess.
“The attending physician gave Brittney recommendations for the use of medical cannabis. The permission was issued on behalf of the Arizona Department of Health,” lawyer Maria Blagovolina said.
Medical marijuana is not legal in Russia.
The defence on Friday also submitted tests she underwent as part of an anti-doping check, which didn’t detect any prohibited substances in her system.
The next hearing of Griner’s case was scheduled for July 26.
“In the hearings yesterday and today what became very clear is the tremendous amount of respect and admiration both in the United States and here in Russia where Miss Griner has been playing basketball for seven years, not only for her professional achievements but for her character and integrity,” U.S. Embassy charge d’affaires Elizabeth Rood said outside the courthouse in the Moscow suburb of Khimki, where the airport is located.
The director and team captain of UMMC Ekaterinburg, for which Griner plays in the off-season, testified on her behalf on Thursday.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have said they are doing all they could to win her release, as well as that of other Americans the U.S. considers “wrongly detained” by Russia, including former Marine Paul Whelan who is serving 16 years on an espionage conviction.
Washington may have little leverage with Moscow, though, because of strong animosity over its military operation in Ukraine.
Russian media have speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout, nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted…
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