All you need to know about Brittney Griner
It's an unlikely story, one that has shaken the world of CBD, cannabis and sports. It's the story of Brittney Griner. This young thirty-something is a top-level sportswoman, playing in the WNBA, the best women's basketball league in the world. A star among stars, she found herself at the heart of a terrible scandal after being arrested in Moscow with a CBD vape in her possession. In Russia, the possession and consumption of cannabis-derived products, including CBD, are strictly forbidden. In the rest of this article, we look back at the story and its outcome.
Who is Brittney Griner?
CBD and cannabis in Russia
The Griner case
The end of the affair
Back to the USA
Who is Brittney Griner?
As explained above, Brittney Griner is an American professional basketball player. She plays for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA (women's NBA league).
She was selected first overall in the 2013 WNBA draft and has won two WNBA championships, in 2014 and 2015. Griner is also a member of the U.S. National Basketball Team and won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
She is also considered one of the best defenders in WNBA history. But her story is more special than that. She also plays in Russia, as the WNBA season is not particularly long. And therein lies her problem.
She was on her way to Moscowto join her second team... but was stopped at the airport. The reason? The star went there with a CBD vaporizer. While this is permitted in the USA and many other countries around the world, it's not exactly the case in Russia. As a result, when she went through border control, she was stopped dead in her tracks.
CBD and cannabis in Russia
CBD (cannabidiol) is a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant (known as cannabinoids). It is not psychoactive and has no addictive effect. On the contrary, this molecule is increasingly being studied and used for wellness purposes.
While legal in many countries, in Russia the possession, use and sale of cannabis, including CBD, are prohibited. Although some discussions are taking place internally on the subject, for the moment there is no indication that legalization will take place any time soon.
As a result, the fact that in Russia the possession, use and sale of CBD is perfectly illegal means that those arrested may well be subject to prison sentences. Under Russian narcotics law, possession of small quantities of cannabis (less than six grams) can result in a prison sentence of up to two years. If possession is deemed to be for the purpose of sale, the prison sentence can be increased to 15 years.
The Griner affair
TheGriner case is directly linked to this highly restrictive Russian CBD legislation. On arriving in Moscow, the basketball player passed through border control, only to be arrested for holding a CBD vaporizer.
The year is February 2021. A situation that comes at a peculiar time, since it's the very start of the war in Ukraine. In spite of herself, the two-time Olympic champion finds herself at the heart of a geopolitical imbroglio.
Quickly imprisoned, she is still awaiting trial. At the same time, while the USA and Russia were negotiating about her, she was found guilty of illegal possession and drug trafficking by Judge Anna Sotnikova.
The verdict was accompanied by a relatively heavy penalty. She was sentenced to nine years' imprisonment, spending time in a penal colony, and a fine of one million rubles. A court decision which, as everyone can imagine, does not please the American government at all.
The head of state, Joe Biden, had this to say. "This is unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so that she can be reunited with her wife, her loved ones and her teammates", he said, adding that Washington would do everything in its power to help the American star get out of this situation.
For her part, Brittney Griner is doing her utmost to plead her case. "I made a mistake in good faith and I hope the judgment won't end my life here. I never meant to hurt anyone, I never intended to put the Russian population in danger, nor to break the law here". A statement that proved totally insufficient for the courts to decide to release her.
The outcome of the case
While in the USA the CBD (and even cannabis) issue has been settled in many states for a very long time, the situation is markedly different in Russia. Against a tense geopolitical backdrop, negotiations were fierce, but the US government managed to bend Russia's ear with an offer that was deemed quite substantial.
In exchange for Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, an American accused of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison, the American government is said to be ready to release a certain Viktor Bout. This man, a former arms dealer, was the inspiration for the film God of War, starring Nicolas Cage. He was serving a 25-year prison sentence after being arrested in Thailand in 2008.
Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, urged the Russian authorities to accept the deal as soon as possible, especially as the world learned that the star was not in Moscow, but in a women's penal colony in Mordovia. These colonies (particularly in Mordovia) are known by the authorities to be particularly difficult: ill-treatment, insalubrious living conditions...
Back to the USA
Initially, Moscow was very slow to respond, which particularly annoyed the White House and the President of the United States. "The Russian Federation has still not provided official notification of such a move by an American citizen, which we strongly dispute. The embassy has continued to press for more information about her transfer and current location." But the exchange is accepted.
Things then accelerated very quickly. The exchange proposed by the American executive was accepted by Moscow. The prisoner exchange took place in Abu Dhabi. The announcement was welcomed by many American sportsmen and women, as well as the American star's close friends and former coaches. This almost year-long affair has its roots in Moscow's restrictive CBD and cannabis policy, for which the top sportswoman was clearly unprepared.
