Charges against WNBA Brittney Griner Orchestrated by Russia : Explained


Charges against WNBA Brittney Griner

Allegedly on February 17th, 2022, Brittney Griner was arrested for carrying vape cartridges on her way to play basketball. These cartridges had contained hashish oil in which Russia had banned this substance. As an individual in Russia, you are not supposed to possess anything less than 6 grams or of 2 grams. If so, you will be fined or jailed for up to 15 days.

During the trial that took place, the prosecutor had said “being sufficiently aware that the movement of neurotic drugs is not allowed . . . no later than February 17, 2022 at an unspecified location under unspecified circumstances from an unidentified person (Ms Griner) bought two cartridges for personal use, which contained 0.252 grams and 0.45 grams of hash oil, totaling 0.702 grams.” Although this may seem a bit excessively orderly, it was a set-in-place rule. Had she not done the research before traveling, it would not have ended up this way. This was a total that had not even reached 1 gram, which undeniably doesn’t seem like a huge amount. Basketball players are put on a court to touch their limits and go beyond imagination in front of a crowd. This may be pressuring and stressful, leading some to find different methods in relieving these feelings. In this case, this cartridge seemingly had a purpose – to reduce this stress and to keep her head in the game.

Brittney Griner
FILE PHOTO: Brittney Griner of the United States gestures during a game against Australia at Saitama Super Arena in their Tokyo 2020 Olympic women’s basketball quarterfinal game in Saitama, Japan August 4, 2021. REUTERS/Brian Snyder/File Photo

Later on, Griner had written a letter to President Biden about releasing her from jail and going home to her wife and children. In the letter, she mentioned, “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.” She had gone to visit Russia in order to play basketball in the off-season. Her intentions were pure to the eye; to go and play the sport she loved and to improve. She had also mentioned, “it hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate (the Fourth of July) because freedom means something completely different to me this year.” Her letter consisted of the way she felt and the way she had been terrified of sitting in this prison for an immense amount of time. Her plea to be released is heard by the world.

In this solicitation, she says “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.” This was what one of our WNBA players went through.


Throughout history, it is known that many people are influenced by nationalism. In this case, Russia was only enforcing its laws that applied to everyone in the country. The United States government had classified Griner’s case as her being “wrongfully detained.” They are openly against the idea of her being held, whilst working to negotiate her release. This detainment had begun a week after the invasion of Ukraine which brought up concerns with the leverage against the U.S.

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By Charlene Cho