Re: Brittney Griner, let's not forget

[garybeck]

While it is a horrible and unfair story and we are all rightfully concerned for her safety and this is completely unjust....

Let's not forget that there are still many states in OUR country where she could also be going to jail for the same offense. Possession of residual amounts of cannabis is still illegal in many states and there are currently people in jail for this offense and it is still FEDERALLY ILLEGAL to possess ANY THC products no matter how much.

I find it somewhat ironic that Biden appears to be ready to take swift action for a prisoner swap or something like that, when he has expressed zero interest in removing THC from the Schedule 1 drug list in the country he leads.

It's wrong and unjustified in Russia and it's wrong and unjustified in our country too.

This post is not an attack on Biden. It's a reminder and suggestion that we push our government to remove cannabis from the Schedule 1 drug list.

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. Let's not forget that she had come and gone to Russia MANY, MANY times in the very same manner

with no consequences. She was a victim of bad timing and is a political prisoner.

[garybeck]

2. ok but, if it were me....

I would not travel to a hostile country with any thc products, PERIOD. I've heard Japan is HORRIBLE on cannabis. a friend of mine spent years in jail there. Google says 5 year minimum sentence for possession.

[Ferrets are Cool]

3. I'm have a feeling that she was told it was ok.

She was over there because she needed the money. Russian oligarch's were funding it and making it "ok" for her to have the drug. When asswipe Putin began his war and the oligarchs status changed, so did her protection.
In hindsight, doncha think she would have handled things differently?
If you listen to "some people" here (not you), you would think she was a American mass murderer, like just shot up a parade.

[LisaL]

8. I don't know who could have told her it was okey.

She is an adult, not a child.

[Ferrets are Cool]

12. Her employer

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. Sir Paul McCartney was arrested for pot possession in Japan in the 70s and they worked it out.

Thats where the song Band On The Run comes from.

[LisaL]

7. Assuming she brought it with her in previous visits.

One shouldn't count on not being caught even if one hasn't been caught before.

[Karma13612]

4. Well said! And I appreciate this reminder...

[BlackSkimmer]

5. She and her wife, along with some others with a platform pulled the celebrity card.

Though I feel for her in her predicament, any one of us in the same boat would not be getting this attention.

And I agree wholeheartedly with your point about cannabis.

[tulipsandroses]

11. How so? How did they pull a celebrity card?

Trevor Reed’s family met with President Biden. They wanted a prisoner swap for their son. They advised BG’s wife to do the same. It worked for them to get Trevor home. Why shouldn’t Britney’s family and friends not do the same to get Britney home? And perhaps bring Paul Whelan home as well.


She is almost 7ft tall, put in a cramped cage, for hours going back and forth to court. That torture alone is enough to want to not continue a trial that may last months with the same result of being found guilty in the end.


As for the guilty plea, this was expected. Not that it’s an admission to what they accuse her of. She can opt to contort her long body in that cage for a long drawn out trial, perhaps risking injury that may make it harder to resume a professional career, or plead guilty now. Either way, the result would have been the same . Less than 1% are found not guilty. A black lesbian American was not going to beat those odds.

Russia’s Court is a sham court, The guilty plea is a strategy in hopes of bringing her home sooner.

[former9thward]

6. There are only 4 states where cannabis is fully illegal.

Idaho, Wyoming, South Carolina and Kansas. I don't know how they enforce the law in those states or if they make it any type of priority. I really doubt if the same situation happened in any of those 4 states that she would be facing actual jail time vs a fine.

https://disa.com/map-of-marijuana-legality-by-state

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. I agree.

There are many states and nations where pot is illegal but enforcing such laws aren't a priority. That's not to suggest enforcing laws against harder drugs isn't a priority.

[garybeck]

14. i know people who have gone to jail for a roach. n/t

[former9thward]

17. Recently?

[WarGamer]

13. I wouldn't fly into UAE, China or Thailand with drugs, either... that's for sure.

[Hekate]

15. Let's not forget that this is USSR Redux we are dealing with. You would believe them why?

Because they treat Navalny so fairly? Theirs is a legal system where they throw you in jail first and come up with charges as they go along.

Putin was within one week of invading a peaceful neighboring country when Brittney was seized, and he needs negotiable hostages for bargaining with the US.

Everybody who is responding to her case as though it originated in the US where we are likely to be told the truth at a press conference, please just stop.

[ripcord]

16. I'm not trying to be mean but would a swap for Bout be worth it?

He has supplied arms to terrorists and fueled some of the bloodiest conflicts in the last 20 years. Remember any swap Russia wants to do will be in part designed to make the President look bad.