CBD in Russia: basketball player Brittney Griner jailed at the airport for having CBD oil.

Russia and CBD

In view of the current situation, and the war between Russia and Ukraine, here is an article that might interest and challenge you.

According to the NY Times and the Russian agency TASS, Brittney Griner, 7-time WNBA ALL-STAR and member of the US Olympic women's basketball team, was arrested by the Russian Federal Customs Service after they found a quantity of cannabis oil in his luggage.

She currently plays for UMMC Ekaterinburg, which competes in Russia's premier women's basketball league. On 5 March, Russian state television published an undated photo of Griner, taken at a local police station. One of the Russian officials in charge of the investigation said: "An expert determined that the product was a narcotic, cannabis oil. A criminal case has been opened against an American citizen for smuggling a large quantity of the drug."

When Griner's luggage was checked at Sheremetyevo international airport, customs reportedly found cannabis oil-based vaping cartridges. It is not known whether she was leaving or arriving in the country at the time. Many foreign and American sportsmen and women have already left the country following Russia's declaration of war on Ukraine. It is also not known how long the basketball player has been held in detention, but CCTV footage from the airport dating from February suggests that she may have already been held for 2 or 3 weeks.

A criminal case has therefore been opened against Griner, charged with "large-scale transport of drugs, a crime punishable by 10 years' imprisonment in Russia" according to the NY Times.

As tensions continue to rise between the United States and Russia, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, there are fears that Brittney Griner's detention is mainly a political tool to put pressure on the US government, given her status as a sportswoman and celebrity.

 

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