An estimated 113 million viewers watched Super Bowl LVII to see if the Philadelphia Eagles or Kansas City Chiefs would win this year (the second-most watched since Super Bowl XLIX in 2015). Among those viewers were countless cannabis consumers, but cannabis sales took a slight dip in comparison to last year.
A cannabis checkout purchase averages at around $84.61, but sales from this past weekend saw a 4% drop in sales.
According to data collected by Chicago-based Fyllo, pre-rolls were the most popular products purchased this weekend at 37% of sales. In a statement to Forbes, Fyllo founder Chad Bronstein explained that the reason pre-rolls sold so well is because they are “the cheapest product in dispensaries.”
“We see this sensitivity to pricing most significant among persons aged 25 to 75, where consumer spending this year around the Super Bowl decreased significantly,” Bronstein added. Among age demographics, Fyllo also found that Gen Z consumers purchased rose considerably on Feb. 12, especially with buyers between 21 to 24 (a 10% increase from that age group).
The second most popular product category was described as “dispensary gear” by Fyllo, which saw a 20% increase this year. This was followed by “plants” at a 200% increase, and beverages at a 39% increase. Both topicals and edibles dropped in sales, with a respective 36% and 25% decrease. Bronstein believes that this is “potentially a response to pricing, driven by higher manufacturing costs, especially for those looking to optimize the cost of their high.”
Fyllo also found that while west coast sales dipped, eastern and southern states’ cannabis sales increased. Sales in Florida increased significantly by 27%, while Maine sales increased by 17%, and Arkansas increased by 7%.
While cannabis sales dropped slightly in previous years, it didn’t hamper the cannabis-related festivities of offered in Arizona where the Super Bowl took place this year.
Trulieve Cannabis Corp.’s recent move into Arizona led with the launch of Ricky Williams’s Highsman brand. “Our expansion into Arizona is made possible through our retail partnership with Trulieve, and Abundant Organics, whose organic living soil cultivation techniques produce some of the cleanest and most flavorful flower I’ve tried,” Williams announced last month. “Both partners clearly see the Highsman vision and share the same enthusiasm for physical and mental healing as I do. Highsman is for anyone seeking greatness, mental and spiritual well-being.”
Trulieve’s CEO, Kim Rivers, was proud to partner with the former NFL player. “Trulieve is excited to launch this limited-time exclusive partnership with legendary NFL player Ricky Williams in Arizona, just weeks before the Super Bowl will be hosted in the state,” said Rivers. “Ricky was well-known for his belief in the power of cannabis during his playing days, and the Highsman brand reflects his values and passion for cannabis. We are proud to launch Highsman products in the Arizona market.”
HARA Brands partnered with Rolling Stone Live this weekend to celebrate the Super Bowl as well. The brand’s CEO and co-founder, Bryan Gerber, expressed his excitement for what this means for the industry. “We are extremely proud to represent the cannabis community at such a high-profile event during one of the biggest weekends in sports and entertainment,” said Gerber. “It’s a testament to how far this industry has come, and we couldn’t be more excited to be part of this exclusive experience alongside some of the most successful brands and talented individuals.”
WNBA star athlete Brittney Griner attended this year’s Superbowl with her wife Cherelle Griner. Following a 10-month battle for her freedom after being imprisoned in Russia for possessing a small amount of cannabis, Brittney was recently named Arizonan of the Year by Arizona Republic.
On Jan. 16, President Joe Biden spoke at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast event in Washington D.C., which was hosted by the National Action Network. In his speech, he briefly included a mention of consumers in prison for cannabis convictions. “And one other thing about equal justice. I’m keeping my promise,” he said in his speech. “No one—I’ll say it again—no one should be in federal prison for the mere possession of marijuana. No one.”
“In addition to that, they should be released from prison and completely pardoned and their entire record expunged so that if they have to ask, ‘Have you ever been [convicted]?’ You can honestly say, ‘No.’”
During his speech, he also mentioned his efforts to help release Brittney Griner, the all-star WNBA athlete who was detained and sentenced in Russia for possessing a small amount of cannabis oil. “And we brought Brittney Griner home just in time for Christmas. And we have more to bring home as well,” he said briefly.
Biden appears committed to his promise to prevent citizens from being convicted and sent to federal prison for cannabis crimes, especially since his initial announcement in October 2022. Previously, Biden signed an infrastructure bill in November 2021, which included improvements for cannabis studies. In December 2022, he signed a bill called the Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act which “establishes a new registration process for conducting research on marijuana and for manufacturing marijuana products for research purposes and drug development.”
Earlier this month, the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) voted to propose an amendment that would redefine simple cannabis possession in order to help guide judges preceding over cannabis possession cases. The USSC also released a report on Jan. 10 which analyzes data on cannabis possession sentences. During Fiscal Year 2021, 4,405 people received extra points on their criminal history record because of a cannabis possession conviction, and 1,765 entered a “higher criminal history category” because of that conviction. The report also found a decline in the number of people convicted for federal simple possession, from 2,172 in Fiscal Year 2014 to just 145 in Fiscal Year 2021.
The USSC initially estimated in an October 2022 report that 6,577 people could potentially receive pardons.
Biden’s pardon announcement in October has led other state governors to take similar action. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced that he would be exploring statewide weed pardons, and later signing an executive order in November to allow medical cannabis use. More than 1,450 Arizona residents with federal cannabis possession convictions were pardoned on Oct. 25, 2022.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown issued more than 45,000 pardons in November 2022. “We are a state, and a nation, of second chances. Today, I am taking steps to right the wrongs of a flawed, inequitable, and outdated criminal justice system in Oregon when it comes to personal marijuana possession,” Brown said in a statement. “For the estimated 45,000 individuals who are receiving a pardon for prior state convictions of marijuana possession, this action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions.”
Most recently, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf granted 369 pardons on Jan. 12, which adds to a total of 2,540. “I have taken this process very seriously—reviewing and giving careful thought to each and every one of these 2,540 pardons and the lives they will impact,” Wolf said. “Every single one of the Pennsylvanians who made it through the process truly deserves their second chance, and it’s been my honor to grant it.”
It was to relief and jubilation coast to coast when Brittney Griner landed on the morning of Dec. 9 at Kelly Field in San Antonio. As the whole world knows, this was the end of a nine-month ordeal behind bars in the increasingly draconian Russia of Vladimir Putin.
Home For The Holidays
In what proved to be disastrous timing, WNBA superstar and Olympic gold-medalist Griner—who had been playing for Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg—was popped at the Moscow airport with a couple of cannabis-oil vape-pens in early March—just days into Putin’s Ukraine invasion, with superpower tensions suddenly soaring.
In August, a Moscow court sentenced her to nine years despite her guilty plea. On Oct. 18, she passed her 32nd birthday in a Moscow jail, awaiting an appeal of her sentence.
The sentence was upheld by the higher court, and in mid-November, Griner was transferred to IK-2 penal colony in Mordovia region—where she voluntarily shaved off her signature long dreadlocks, because washing them in the cold was too challenging as she struggled to stay warm.
The US State Department was meanwhile assiduously working for her release—and it was all too clear that Putin was driving a hard bargain. In the end, Griner was freed in a one-for-one prisoner swap with notorious international arms dealer Viktor Bout—dubbed by the media the “Merchant of Death.” The pair even did the ritual walk-by on the tarmac as their respective planes touched down at the Abu Dhabi airport.
As the plane carrying Griner landed in San Antonio, Roger Carstens, the US special presidential envoy for hostage negotiations who had accompanied her on the flight, tweeted: “So happy to have Brittney back on US soil. Welcome home BG!”
So happy to have Brittney back on U.S. soil. Welcome home BG!
— U.S. Special Presidential Envoy Roger D. Carstens (@StateSPEHA) December 9, 2022
President Joe Biden made his own statement: “After months of being unjustly detained in Russia, held under intolerable circumstances, Brittney will soon be back in the arms of her loved ones and she should have been there all along. This is a day we’ve worked toward for a long time. We never stopped pushing for her release.”
Angry Republicans
However, Georgia’s far-right extremist Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene immediately responded to Griner’s release by threatening to launch impeachment proceedings against Biden. She tweeted: “Another reason to impeach Biden. The President of the United States traded Russian terrorist arms dealer, Viktor Bout, left a US Marine in Russian jail, and brought home a professional basketball player. How many people will Viktor Bout now kill bc [sic] Biden set him free?”
Another reason to impeach Biden.
The President of the United States traded Russian terrorist arms dealer, Viktor Bout, left a U.S. Marine in Russian jail, and brought home a professional basketball player.
How many people will Viktor Bout now kill bc Biden set him free?
The ex-Marine in question is Paul Whelan, a private security firm director who was sentenced by a Russian court in 2020 to 16 years for espionage—a charge Washington rejects as a frame-up. There had been speculation that he’d be paired with Griner in a deal with Moscow, but this proved not to be. Griner and Bout were swapped one-for-one, and Whelan continues to be held at Russia’s top-security IK-17 penal compound, also in Mordovia. The White House officially lists him as “wrongfully detained,” a designation he shared with Griner before her release.
Trump’s former secretary of state and CIA director Mike Pompeo likewise told NBC News: “The Trump administration was always clear, we weren’t going to trade bad guys for celebrities, because it creates the wrong incentive for the bad guys.”
And Donald Trump himself wasted no time, writing on his fledgling Truth Social platform: “Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a ‘stupid’ and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!” (Sic)
It requires little sophistication to read the barely coded cultural politics here. “Celebrity” Griner was favored by the liberal elite, while patriotic Leatherneck Whelan was betrayed. This propaganda is obviously lubricated by the fact that Griner is an openly gay African American woman who wore dreadlocks and showed up at her court dates in a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt or “Black Lives Matter” hoodie. And, it goes without saying, by the fact that she was busted for cannabis.
Bout Pawns Biden
Before the Bout-Griner swap was approved, a White House-ordered “national security assessment” supposedly found that any risk posed by a free Bout would be “manageable.” He had less than seven years remaining on a 25-year term he was serving at the federal penitentiary in Marion, IL.
Bout didn’t make anything easier for Biden. He was barely back on Russian soil before he was put on Kremlin state propaganda outlet RT for a high-profile interview in which he dutifully declared his support for Putin’s Ukraine war and offered to put his skills to use on its behalf.
The interview was conducted by none other than Maria Butina, the far right-wing political operative who in 2018 was charged by US authorities with running an illegal Russian influence campaign within the US. Butina, who reportedly tried to broker a secret meeting between Trump and Putin during the 2016 presidential campaign, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after copping a plea. After her release, she returned to Russia, became a member of parliament with Putin’s ruling party and also serves as a mouthpiece for his regime on RT.
“A Russian man like me, I never understood why we didn’t do this earlier,” Bout told Butina, speaking of the Ukraine war. “I fully support the special military operation,” he added, using Putin’s official Orwellian euphemism for the unprovoked, outrageous invasion of a sovereign nation. The comments were quickly tweeted out by Russian media outlets.
And Bout was sure to make clear: “If I had the opportunity and the necessary skills, I would, of course, volunteer.”
This would appear to be an ironic understatement, as Bout has certainly demonstrated his special “skills” across several continents.
Death Merchant Has Earned His Sobriquet
Abandoned cargo plane left in the desert in Umm Al Quwains. PHOTO Daniel Allison
There’s no getting around the fact that Bout is a baddie.
Accused by both the UN and Amnesty International of flouting multiple arms embargos, Bout was arrested at a five-star hotel in Bangkok in March 2008. Thai authorities issued the warrant based on information from the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). A former KGB officer, Bout allegedly sold arms to the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Colombia’s FARC guerillas and warring sides in several African conflicts. According to the US Treasury Department, Bout built up his arms empire after the collapse of the USSR, acquiring a fleet of surplus military planes.
“Today, Bout has the capacity to transport tanks, helicopters and weapons by the tons to virtually any point in the world,” the Treasury Department said in 2005 statement. “The arms he has sold or brokered has helped fuel conflicts and support UN sanctioned regimes in Afghanistan, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan.”
The US government claims Bout made a $50 million profit supplying military equipment to the Taliban in Afghanistan during their first stint in power, back in the 1990s. In 2002, Bout went on Russian media to deny the charges, saying the accusations against him “resemble more a script for a Hollywood thriller.”
And indeed Bout was clearly the inspiration for the 2005 Hollywood thriller Lord of War, in which he was played by Nicholas Cage. He was also the subject of a nonfiction book, Merchant of Death by Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun, the source of his long-standing nickname in Western media.
The book claimed that planes from Bout’s fleet made several airdrops of weapons to the FARC between December 1998 and April 1999, and this was the angle used by the US Justice Department to snare him.
The US charges against Bout stemmed from a sting operation in which undercover DEA agents posing as FARC representatives secured a deal from him to supply millions of dollars worth of weapons, including surface-to-air missile systems and armor-piercing rocket launchers. The agents let slip that the arms could be used in attacks on US citizens, and the seemingly gullible Bout gave his tacit approval. He would be convicted by a New York City federal court in 2011 of conspiring to kill Americans.
Whither Whelan?
Paul Whelan’s twin brother David has had some sharp words for the former president now presuming to speak on his sibling’s behalf. After Trump’s grandstanding, Paul tweeted: “Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother #PaulWhelan’s wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by #Russia (zero). I don’t suggest he cares now any more than he did then (zero).”
Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother #PaulWhelan‘s wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by #Russia (zero). I don’t suggest he cares now any more than he did then (zero) https://t.co/7lnSF0zJxL
And Fiona Hill, who served as an advisor on Russian affairs to Trump’s National Security Council, was similarly skeptical. She told Face the Nation on CBS: “At the particular time, I also have to say here that President Trump wasn’t especially interested in engaging in that swap for…Paul Whelan. He was not particularly interested in Paul’s case in the way that one would have thought he would be.”
This is a reference to Trump’s boast on Truth Social that he “turned down” a deal to swap Whelan for Bout. In that same post, he asserted that the Griner-Bout swap was “crazy and bad,” and that he “would have gotten Paul out.”
As Peter Baker of The New York Timesresponded on Twitter, this raises the obvious and serious question of “why Trump didn’t free Whelan, who was imprisoned in 2018 during Trump’s presidency.”
MAGA Republicans Betray Ukraine
Protest manifestation against war in Ukraine. PHOTO Denys Kuvaiev
All this is rendered even more ironic by the long-standing flirtation between the MAGA Republicans and the Putin regime—which persists even as the despot’s rockets rain death down on Ukraine. Viktor Bout would be heartened by Marjorie Taylor Greene’s efforts to rein in US aid to Kyiv.
On Nov.17, the notorious MTG joined with controversial far-right poster boy Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and other House Republicans at a press conference announcing plans to introduce a resolution calling for an audit of US assistance to embattled Ukraine. This, despite recent battlefield successes, amply demonstrates how the aid is being used effectively.
In late February, exactly as Putin was launching his Ukraine invasion, MTG attended the far-right America First Political Action Conference in Orlando, where the organizer and master of ceremonies was the flagrant and unrepentant white nationalist Nick Fuentes. Minutes before Fuentes brought MTG to the stage, he grotesquely called for a “a round of applause for Russia”—and led the assemblage in a chant of “Putin! Putin!”
Fuentes would re-emerge in the headlines in November, when he joined Trump and Ye, the rap artist formerly known as Kanye West, for dinner at the ex-president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
MTG has been keeping up the anti-Ukraine invective even as Russian atrocities mount—absurdly portraying the conflict as a sequel to the Iraq war and creation of the US military-industrial complex. On June 30, she tweeted: “Ukraine is the MIC’s new Iraq wrapped up with a pretty little NATO bow, with a nuclear present inside.”
The role played by then President George W. Bush in Iraq in 2003 (launching an unprovoked war of aggression) is this time being played by Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.
Griner Pledges To Help Whelan
Brooke Army Medical Center. PHOTO Clark Construction Group
Brittney Griner spent her first week restored to freedom in a reintegration program at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. In her limited initial statements to the press, said she’ll use her expanded platform to fight for the release of Paul Whelan and some 50 other Americans officially designated as wrongfully detained overseas.
Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told CNN: “It was one of the first things she asked me about. She’s very, very concerned about that. And will be sending a message to Paul.”
Upon her discharge from the Brooke Medical Center on Dec. 16, she posted on her Instagram page to thank her supporters around the country, and announce that she’ll definitely return to playing for the Phoenix Mercury next season. She pledged publicly to fight for the release of Whelan: “I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
…and America’s Own ‘Wrongfully Detained’?
PHOTO motortion
The attention focused on the cannabis question by the Griner case could give greater impetus to addressing what remains a real human rights crisis here in the US. In a commentary after Griner’s release, Ari Melber of MSNBC welcomed the global star athlete home, but also decried the selective outrage revealed by her case. “If you’re outraged about it over there,” he asked, meaning Russia, “why aren’t you outraged about it over here?”
Melber pointed, by way of example, to the case of Allen Russell, a man who was sentenced by a Mississippi court three years ago to a life sentence for possession of 43.71 grams of cannabis—about an ounce and a half. This June, the Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the sentence, finding that it wasn’t a violation of the Eighth Amendment protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
By the count of the Last Prisoner Project advocacy group, there are (even after the progress toward state-level legalization over the past years) some 40,000 people behind bars for cannabis in the US on any given day.
Clearly, work remains to be done on several fronts.
Brittney Griner is back on American soil following ten months in Russian custody on drug charges. But other U.S. citizens remain locked up in Russia, including a 61-year-old man whose detention mirrors the experience of Griner.
Politico published a story last week on Marc Fogel, who was arrested last year after Russian authorities found medical marijuana in his possession.
“Fogel’s case bears a striking similarity to Griner’s, which has captured national headlines since the WNBA star was detained in Russia in February 2022. Like Griner, Fogel — a 61-year-old history teacher from Pennsylvania who lived in Russia while teaching at the Anglo-American School in Moscow — was taken into custody by Russian authorities in August 2021 after customs officials at a Russian airport discovered around half an ounce of medical marijuana stashed in his luggage,” Politico reported.
“The drugs had been prescribed to him by doctors in the U.S. to help treat chronic pain stemming from a series of injuries and operations, but Fogel’s reasons didn’t matter. Ten months later, in June 2022, a Russian court convicted him of drug trafficking charges and sentenced him to 14 years in prison. In October, Fogel was transferred from a Moscow detention center to one of Russia’s notorious penal colonies, where he is slated to serve the remainder of his sentence,” the outlet continued.
Griner, a perennial all-star for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and one of the most decorated women’s basketball players ever, was released last week after U.S. and Russian officials negotiated a prisoner swap. In exchange for the release of Griner, the U.S. agreed to free Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who had been serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.
The deal drew some criticism from those who lamented the release of Bout, nicknamed the “Merchant of Death.” There was also disappointment that the U.S. was unable to also secure the release of Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen who has been detained by Russia since 2018 on espionage charges.
U.S. officials sought a two-for-one deal –– Griner and Whelan in exchange for Bout –– but such an arrangement never materialized.
“We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” President Joe Biden said last week following Griner’s release.
Griner was arrested at a Russian airport in February after officials found a small amount of cannabis oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to the charges, but said she did not intend to break the law. In August, a Russian court found her guilty and sentenced her to nine years in prison.
Griner’s detention attracted international attention, and emerged as a diplomatic standoff between the United States and Russia. Foley’s case, meanwhile, has flown decidedly under the radar.
“The State Department has not granted him “wrongfully detained” status, despite repeated appeals from a bipartisan group of lawmakers and Fogel’s lawyers. (A spokesperson for the State Department declined to comment on the specifics of Fogel’s case, saying: “The Department continuously reviews the circumstances surrounding the detentions of U.S. nationals overseas, including those in Russia, for indicators that they are wrongful.”) In the media, Fogel’s detention has been overshadowed by the coverage of Griner and Paul Whelan, an American businessman and former Marine who has been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges,” Politicoreported last week.
“It’s a bit mysterious to me why we [aren’t] talking about three Americans — now, thankfully, two Americans — instead of just one,” said Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, told Politico. “He’s not just some random guy that got arrested — he was part of our community … He taught our kids, the kids of U.S. government officials and he taught our military’s kids.”
WNBA star Brittney Griner, after being locked up for months in Russia for a small amount of cannabis, was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout.
Griner, who plays for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at a Russian airport on February 17 and later pleaded guilty to charges of possession of cannabis cartridges in her luggage, one week before Russia invaded Ukraine.
She ultimately faced nine years in prison for 0.7 grams of weed: “[Ms. Griner] bought two cartridges for personal use, which contained 0.252 grams and 0.45 grams of hash oil, totaling 0.702 grams,” Russian news agency TASS stated. Griner was transferred to a Russian penal colony last month.
Griner’s case is a flashpoint for debate—given the thousands of other Americans in prison in the U.S. and beyond on cannabis-related charges. Five months of diplomacy and deceitful messages from Russian officials finally came to an end.
“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said at the White House, alongside Griner’s wife, Cherelle, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released by Russian news agencies that the swap took place in Abu-Dhabi and that Bout has been flown home. Last week a top Russian official said that a deal was underway, as did Biden.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said on November 18 that there was new activity surrounding a potential prisoner swap, but people remained generally skeptical. Amid the unprovoked invasion in the Ukraine, tensions remain high.
The outcome, however, feels bittersweet for people with family members locked up on cannabis related charges.
Griner Release Comes at a Price
Griner’s release comes at a price: In order to secure Griner’s release, Biden ordered Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death,” to be freed and returned to Russia as a stipulation. Biden signed a commutation order freeing Bout from his 25-year federal prison sentence.
Bout is a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel who was described by the U.S. Department of Justice as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. Bout’s fingerprint can be seen in the supply of missiles and arms in violent wars in Afghanistan, Colombia, the Congo, and the overthrow of the Gaddafi government in Libya in 2011.
Frankly, the fact that 0.7 grams of weed is considered equivalent is outrageous.
Bout was arrested by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Thailand following a sting operation carried out by American agents in 2008. He was eventually convicted of conspiring to kill Americans and was sentenced to 25 years in prison about 10 years ago.
Bout was most recently incarcerated at a federal prison in Marion, Illinois before the release.
Free Other Prisoners
As thousands of other cannabis prisoners in the U.S. and beyond await their own releases, some celebrities pointed out the hypocrisy.
I am glad that Britney Griner is free from a Russian prison on cannabis charges.
I am angry that Biden hasn’t lifted a finger to free any of the tens of thousands of Americans in American prisons on cannabis charges.
U.S. officials attempted for several months to bring home both Griner and Paul Whelan, a Michigan man also locked up in Russia since December 2018 on “espionage charges” that his family and the U.S. government both deny.
“We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” Biden said. “We will keep negotiating in good faith for Paul’s release.”
But it’s important to keep in mind that Whelan’s own family supports the release, despite still waiting for Paul’s release. “The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen,” Paul’s brother David said in a statement.
Last April, the U.S. traded Russian cocaine smuggler Konstantin Yaroshenko for American former prisoner Trevor Reed.
A top official in Russia suggested last week that the American basketball star Brittney Griner’s detention could be approaching a resolution, but officials in the United States quickly dismissed those claims.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, said on Friday that there was fresh “activity” surrounding a potential prisoner swap involving Griner, who was transferred to a Russian penal colony earlier this month, and Viktor Bout, the Russian arms dealer currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.
Ryabkov’s comments were quoted in Russian media.
“We haven’t found common ground yet, but, undoubtedly, Viktor Bout is among those being discussed and obviously we are hoping for a positive result,” Ryabkov said, as reported on by ESPN. “The Americans are showing certain activity and we are working on this through appropriate channels.”
But the State Department splashed cold water on that, saying that Russia has not been a serious party to the negotiations.
“We are not going to comment on the specifics of any proposals other than to say that we have made a substantial offer that the Russian Federation has consistently failed to negotiate in good faith,” a State Department spokesperson said, as quoted by ESPN. “The U.S. Government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with the Russian government. The Russian government’s failure to seriously negotiate on these issues in the established channel, or any other channel for that matter runs counter to its public statements.”
The U.S. has proposed a prisoner swap with Russia that would secure the release of both Griner and Paul Whelan, a United States citizen who has been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges, in exchange for Bout. But so far, a deal has yet to materialize.
Griner, a star for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, has been detained in Russia since February, when she was arrested in a Moscow airport on drug charges (officials found cannabis oil in her luggage).
Griner pleaded guilty to the charges in July, but said it was a mistake and that she did not intend to break the law. In August, Griner was convicted by a Russian court, which sentenced her to nine years in prison.
U.S. officials met with Griner earlier this month for the first time since her arrest in February, when she was returning to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a team for which which she has played during the WNBA’s offseason since 2014.
“We are told she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre said regarding the meeting.
“As we have said before, the U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan,” Jean-Pierre added. “I can also tell you that in the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with Russians through all available channels.
President Joe Biden, who met with Griner’s family members in September, said in a news conference following the midterm election earlier this month that he is hopeful Russian President Vladimir Putin will be willing to negotiate a release.
“My hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” Biden said.
The American basketball star Brittney Griner was transferred to a Russian penal colony this week, a move that has left her family and legal team in the dark over her status and whereabouts.
The New York Times reported that Griner’s lawyers “said in a statement [on Wednesday] that her destination was unknown and that they expected to be notified through official mail, along with the U.S. Embassy, once she has arrived, a process that can take up to two weeks.”
Griner, 32, has been detained in Russia since February, when she was arrested at a Moscow airport on drug charges. Security officials found cannabis oil in her luggage, which Griner later said was an accident.
Her transfer to a Russian penal colony marks another dark development for Griner, a star for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s basketball players ever.
According to the Times, penal colonies “are notorious for abusive treatment of inmates, overcrowding and harsh conditions.”
“Some prisoners are tortured, or beaten by fellow inmates. Some have to work 16-hour days. A few are forced to watch Russian propaganda on repeat,” the Times reported. “This is the world of the Russian penal colony, into which Brittney Griner is about to be inducted for a nine-year term after her sentencing on drug smuggling charges was upheld last month.”
The transfer also makes the already trying circumstances even more difficult for Griner’s friends and family back home.
“Prisoners are typically not allowed to communicate with the outside world for a week or two while they are moved, and lawyers and family members do not know where the inmates are going — learning which penal colony the sentence will be served in only once the prisoner arrives,” the Times said.
Griner’s ongoing detention, coming at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Russia, has turned into a diplomatic standoff.
The U.S. has sought a prisoner swap with Russia, which would secure the release of Griner and Paul Whelan, an American citizen who has been detained in Russia on espionage charges since 2018.
In exchange, the U.S. would release Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.
Russia has, thus far, resisted the offer.
U.S. embassy officials in Moscow met with Griner last week for the first time since she was detained.
“We are told she is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances,” the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre said last week following the meeting, as quoted by The New York Times.
“As we have said before, the U.S. government made a significant offer to the Russians to resolve the current unacceptable and wrongful detentions of American citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan,” Jean-Pierre added, as quoted by the Times. “I can also tell you that in the subsequent weeks, despite a lack of good faith negotiation by the Russians, the U.S. government has continued to follow up on that offer and propose alternative potential ways forward with Russians through all available channels.
President Joe Biden said in a news conference on Wednesday that, with the midterm elections in the United States now completed, he is hopeful that Russian President Vladmir Putin will return to the negotiating table.
“My hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about a prisoner exchange,” Biden said, as quoted by ESPN.
A Russian court on Tuesday denied Brittney Griner’s appeal, upholding the American basketball star’s nine-year prison sentence on drug charges. Griner received the sentence in August, and has been in Russian custody since she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February.
“We are very disappointed,” Griner’s lawyers said in a statement, as quoted by The New York Times, after the court upheld the conviction on Tuesday. “The verdict contains numerous defects, and we hoped that the court of appeal would take them into consideration.”
Griner is now set to begin serving her sentence, although it will be slightly reduced. According to the Associated Press, the Moscow region court said in its ruling on Tuesday that “the time Griner will have to serve in prison will be recalculated with her time in pre-trial detention taken into account.” The AP reported that one day “in pre-trial detention will be counted as 1.5 days in prison, so the basketball star will have to serve around eight years in prison.”
Griner, a star for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, was arrested in February while traveling to Russia to suit up for UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian team for which she had played during the WNBA’s offseason since 2014.
Officials at the airport found cannabis oil in Griner’s luggage.
Her detention has veered into the realm of diplomacy, emerging as another standoff in the strained relations between the United States and Russia.
The two countries have discussed a potential prisoner swap that would secure the release of both Griner and Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen who has been detained in a Russian prison on espionage charges since 2018.
The U.S. has offered to release Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States, in exchange for Griner and Whalen, but a deal has yet to come to fruition.
Earlier this month, Bill Richardson, who previously served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and governor of New Mexico, said he was “cautiously optimistic” that both Griner and Whalen will be released by the end of the year.
Richardson, an experienced negotiator for families of detainees and hostages, traveled to Moscow last month to meet with Russian officials.
“I got the sense that the Russian officials that I met with, that I’ve known over the years, are ready to talk,” Richardson said in an interview on CNN. “I got a good sense from the Russians – the vibrations – but I’m not a government official.”
“I’m not part of the government, the government channel. I’ve always made that clear. I respect that. I think any decision, for instance, a release, a prisoner exchange, has to be made by the President. And I think the administration has done a good job on that,” he added.
In August, following Griner’s conviction, Biden said that his administration “will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible.”
“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” Biden said in a statement.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Griner’s “lawyers said they had not decided whether to take the case any further.”
“We need to discuss this with our client,” the lawyers said in a statement, as quoted by the Times. “We generally think that we must use all the available legal tools, especially given the harsh and unprecedented nature of her verdict.”
Bill Richardson, the former governor and diplomat, expressed confidence on Sunday that American basketball star Brittney Griner will be released from Russian custody before the end of the year.
In an interview on CNN, Richardson said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the release of both Griner and Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen who has been held in Russian prison since 2018 on espionage charges.
“I do think so. Now, I hate making predictions, but yes,” Richardson said when asked whether the two Americans will be released before the end of 2022.
Richardson, who previously served as governor of New Mexico and as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, has extensive experience negotiating on behalf of families of hostages and detainees.
“I know (the families are) very emotional and this is a very emotional time. All I can say is that the Biden administration is working hard on it,” Richardson said Sunday on CNN. “So am I. We coordinate, but not always agree on every tactical decision. But I’m not going to interfere in their process. I’m just giving you my assessment after two visits to Russia on behalf of American hostages.”
Griner, a star for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA, has been held in a Russian prison since February after being arrested in a Moscow airport on drug charges (officials found cannabis oil in her luggage).
In August, Griner was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court.
The U.S. considers both Griner and Whelan to be “wrongfully detained.” The Biden administration has negotiated a prisoner swap with Moscow, with the U.S. offering to release Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States, in exchange for the release of Griner and Whelan.
Russia has reportedly rejected that offer.
On Sunday, Richardson suggested that the Russians could be amenable to a deal.
“I got the sense that the Russian officials that I met with, that I’ve known over the years, are ready to talk,” Richardson said on CNN. “I got a good sense from the Russians – the vibrations – but I’m not a government official.”
“I’m not part of the government, the government channel. I’ve always made that clear. I respect that. I think any decision, for instance, a release, a prisoner exchange, has to be made by the President. And I think the administration has done a good job on that,” Richardson added.
President Joe Biden met with the families of both Griner and Whelan last month.
“He wanted to let them know that they remain front of mind and that his team is working on this every day, on making sure that Brittney and Paul return home safely,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at the time.
“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” Biden said in his statement at the time.
“It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.”
“My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible,” he added.
A Russian court on Monday scheduled Brittney Griner’s appeal hearing for October 25, as the American basketball star seeks to overturn her nine-year prison sentence on drug charges.
Griner was sentenced to nine years in prison by a Russian court in August after being found guilty on drug possession charges. She was arrested in a Moscow airport back in February after officials found cannabis oil in her luggage.
Griner, widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s basketball players ever, pleaded guilty to the charges in July, but told the court that “there was no intent” and that she “didn’t want to break the law.”
Her arrest, conviction, and ongoing detention have been sharply condemned by the Biden administration, and the situation has emerged as a diplomatic standoff between officials in the United States and Russia.
The United States has discussed a potential prisoner swap with Russia, offering the release of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the U.S., in exchange for Griner and Paul Whelan, a U.S. citizen who has been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges.
According to various media reports, Russia rejected that offer.
President Joe Biden has faced mounting pressure at home to secure Griner’s release. Griner, a star for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and who has played for UMMC Ekaterinburg during the WNBA’s offseason since 2014, sent Biden a handwritten letter in July.
“As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever,” Griner said in the letter.
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American Detainees,” she continued. “Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to Griner’s wife, Cherelle, shortly after receiving the letter.
“He wanted to let them know that they remain front of mind and that his team is working on this every day, on making sure that Brittney and Paul return home safely,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the meetings.
Following Griner’s sentencing in August, Biden called the court’s decision “unacceptable” and called on Russia “to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.”
“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” Biden said in a statement at the time.
“My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible,” the president continued.
Before she was sentenced, Griner offered an emotional apology to the court.
“I want to apologize to my teammates, my club, my fans and the city of (Yekaterinburg) for my mistake that I made and the embarrassment that I brought on them,” Griner said at the time. “I want to also apologize to my parents, my siblings, the Phoenix Mercury organization back at home, the amazing women of the WNBA, and my amazing spouse back at home.”
