The lawyers of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who is on trial in Russia on charges of drug possession and smuggling, argued in court on Friday that the athlete was prescribed the medical use of cannabis in the United States.
They also added that the basketball player underwent a medical check-up this year because of a severe chronic pain she suffers from.
“The treating doctor recommended Brittney for medical use of cannabis,” said lawyer Maria Blagovolina according to the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti.
“The authorisation was given by the Ministry of Health of the state of Arizona.”
Blagovolina attached to the case materials the results of Griner‘s doping tests, all of which were negative.
The athlete was scheduled to be questioned at Friday’s hearing, but it was postponed until Tuesday next week to give her time to prepare with her lawyers.
The 31-year-old basketball player was detained last February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport after customs officials found cannabis oil, a banned substance in Russia, in her belongings.
Griner, who pleaded guilty to the charges, explained the presence of cannabis oil in her luggage by the haste with which she packed her bags to travel to Russia and claimed that she never intended to commit a crime.
Drug smuggling in Russia is punishable by up to 10 years in prison
According to the White House, both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have spoken by phone with Griner‘s wife, Cherelle, to assure her that they are working to free her wife as soon as possible.
Moscow expressed their desire to work with Washington on a prisoner swap between the two countries, which could include Griner, but advised the US to refrain from any attempt to press the issue.
According to US media reports, former US representative to the UN Bill Richardson plans to visit Russia in the coming weeks to try to secure the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, a former Marine serving a 16-year prison sentence for espionage.
A Citizens’ Swap: Griner for Viktor Bout, the ‘Merchant of Death’
According to some press reports, Russia and the United States are negotiating a swap between the player and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the ‘Merchant of Death’, who is serving time in a US prison.
Bout is serving 25 years in prison for conspiring to kill US citizens and selling weapons to Colombia’s former FARC guerrilla organisation.
One of Bout‘s US lawyers, Steve Zissou, said he hoped that during Richardson‘s possible stay in Moscow it will be made clear to him “any exchange of citizens must include Viktor Anatolyevich Bout“.
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