{"id":4655,"date":"2022-03-06T22:19:35","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T22:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=196317"},"modified":"2022-03-06T22:19:35","modified_gmt":"2022-03-06T22:19:35","slug":"wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-in-russia-over-cannabis-oil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4655","title":{"rendered":"WNBA star Brittney Griner detained in Russia over cannabis oil"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>WNBA star Brittney Griner detained in Russia over cannabis oil | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.5 (Yoast SEO v17.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<h3>Why are we only learning about this now? <\/h3>\n<p>Basketball star Brittney Griner, the WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, has been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/05\/sports\/basketball\/russia-brittney-griner.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">detained<\/a> in Russia for days, if not weeks, after customs officials in Moscow allegedly found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/strains-products\/what-are-pre-filled-cannabis-oil-vape-cartridges#:~:text=vape%20cartridge%20last%3F-,What%20is%20a%20vape%20cartridge%3F,and%20terpenes%20extracted%20from%20cannabis.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cannabis vape cartridges<\/a> in her luggage.<\/p>\n<p>The timeline of Griner\u2019s arrest is unclear. Customs officials released security footage of a 6-foot-9 individual appearing to be Griner going through security at Moscow\u2019s Sheremtyevo in February, but did not identify her by name or give an exact date of detainment. <\/p>\n<p>Griner has a well-documented history of traveling to Russia for work in the WNBA\u2019s offseason. Many WNBA players supplement their income by playing for overseas teams during the winter. In recent years Griner has played for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fiba.basketball\/euroleaguewomen\/18-19\/player\/Brittney-Yevette-Griner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Russia\u2019s UMMC Ekaterinburg<\/a> in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA)\u2019s Women\u2019s EuroLeague.<\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/shacarri-richardson-doesnt-need-to-apologize-for-smoking-weed\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>Sha\u2019Carri Richardson doesn\u2019t need to apologize for smoking weed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Her detention highlights not only the escalating tensions in Europe, but also the alarming trend of American athletes like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/shacarri-richardson-doesnt-need-to-apologize-for-smoking-weed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sha\u2019Carri Richardson<\/a> facing major international consequences for engaging with cannabis\u2014even as cannabis legalization spreads across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and many other nations. <\/p>\n<p>The Russian government has reportedly opened a criminal case against the seven-time WNBA All-Star due to national laws that prohibit the possession of recreational or medicinal cannabis. In Russia, the hashish vape cartridges that were allegedly found in Griner\u2019s luggage could carry a 10-year sentence for just two grams.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"759\" alt=\"britney-griner-instagram-post\" class=\"wp-image-196338 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-in-russia-over-cannabis-oil.png,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-in-russia-over-cannabis-oil.png,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-in-russia-over-cannabis-oil.png,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-in-russia-over-cannabis-oil.png,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Griner\u2019s wife Cherelle posted this Instagram message after news of the basketball star\u2019s arrest broke worldwide. (Instagram post)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-will-happen-to-brittney-griner\">What will happen to Brittney Griner?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>The Phoenix Mercury, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CaupOEnFnNR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Griner\u2019s WNBA team, issued a statement<\/a> on Instagram Saturday, March 5, acknowledging Griner\u2019s detainment. But the question that begs to be asked is obvious: How has this news remained quiet for so long?<\/p>\n<p>Griner is one of the WNBA\u2019s biggest stars. Headlines about Russia have dominated the global news for weeks. Sadly, Griner has been swept into a global chess match for trying to pursue her basketball dreams and earn a wage commensurate to her talent. <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/strains-products\/what-are-pre-filled-cannabis-oil-vape-cartridges\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>What is a cannabis vape cartridge?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<p>No WNBA player, let alone one of the league\u2019s biggest stars, should have to work overtime overseas to supplement their salary at home. Perhaps if these women could receive wage parity in fair proportion to their male counterparts in the NBA, American treasures like Griner wouldn\u2019t feel the need to travel to Russia at such a tenuous time in history.<\/p>\n<p>Her vulnerability as an openly queer Black American trapped in a hostile Russian state should give any American alarm. She certainly faced anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ sentiments abroad and at home, long before Russia attacked Ukraine. But the dangerous circumstances of war and geopolitics further complicate an already stressful reality. That is, living in a world where a plant that does no harm can put a Black woman behind bars behind for simply trying to excel at her craft and career.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-in-russia-over-cannabis-oil.jpg\" alt=\"Janessa Bailey's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Janessa Bailey<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Janessa was born and raised in the Midwest, and serves as Leafly&#8217;s current culture editor. She has a background in content, activism, and African-American Studies. <\/p>\n<p>Janessa is the creator of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/learn\/social-justice\/lumen\">Lumen<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/politics\/leafly-seeds-of-change-2021-report-rates-states-on-marijuana-equity\">Seeds of Change<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/janessa-bailey\">View Janessa Bailey&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-03-06 23:47:01 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WNBA star Brittney Griner detained in Russia over cannabis oil | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Why are we only learning about this now? Basketball star Brittney Griner, the WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist, has been detained in Russia for days, if not weeks, after customs officials in Moscow allegedly found&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4656,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/wnba-star-brittney-griner-detained-in-russia-over-cannabis-oil.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4655","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4655"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4655\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}