As WNBA star Brittney Griner remains imprisoned in Russia, a group of cannabis activists is reportedly planning a demonstration outside of the Russian embassy in Washington, D.C.
The group is calling the outing a “smoke out,” with participants planning on smoking marijuana and demanding Griner’s release.
“Just as it’s unacceptable for Americans to sit behind bars for simple possession of cannabis, it’s absolutely unacceptable for an American sitting in a Russian Gulag,” cannabis activist and co-founder of DC Marijuana Justice Adam Eidinger said, according to Ellie Silverman of The Washington Post. “We feel compelled to protest the Russian Federation, and President Putin, who’s clearly using an American citizen as a pawn in his war against Ukraine.”
Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February and accused of having hashish oil in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to drug charges in July, adding that she did not intend to break the law, and was convicted in August by a Russian court of smuggling drugs with criminal intent. Earlier this week, Griner’s appeal was rejected.
The United States has been working to bring Griner back home. Talks of a prisoner swap have been widely reported, centered on the U.S. offering Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for Griner and another American, Paul Whelan, who has been in Russian custody since December 2018.
