A U.S. citizen who’s imprisoned in Russia over low-level possession of medical marijuana ought to be reclassified by the State Division as a “wrongfully detained” particular person, a coalition of bipartisan senators mentioned in a brand new letter.
The letter, led by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), argues that Marc Fogel is dealing with a “disproportionate 14-year sentence” over possessing lower than an oz of hashish that he’s registered to make use of as a medical marijuana affected person in Pennsylvania.
They advised Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Fogel meets a number of standards to be thought-about a wrongfully detained particular person, which might entitle him to enhanced diplomatic sources to safe his launch.
WNBA participant Brittney Griner, who was equally sentenced to 9 years in Russian jail after she pled responsible to possessing hashish vape cartridges that she was approved to make use of in Arizona as a registered medical marijuana affected person, is already designated as wrongfully detained by the State Division.
“Mr. Fogel’s latest 14-year sentence to a maximum-security penal colony for possession of lower than an oz of medical marijuana can solely be understood as a political ploy by Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime,” the senators wrote. “Mr. Fogel, a 61-year-old with extreme medical situations, has already been detained for a 12 months. The US can’t stand by as Mr. Fogel wastes away in a Russian arduous labor camp.”
They mentioned that because the State Division continues to “negotiate the discharge of Ms. Griner” over the same, low-level marijuana offense, Fogel’s case “warrants the identical diploma of political consideration and diplomatic intervention.”
“We strongly urge the State Division to shift its technique given the realities of Marc Fogel’s state of affairs and act instantly to designate him as ‘wrongfully detained.’ Such a designation will present the warranted stage of assist to Marc Fogel’s household after a 12 months of communication with Mr. Fogel solely through mail and, most significantly, would require the U.S. Particular Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs to safe Mr. Fogel’s freedom. We can’t enable Mr. Fogel for use as a political pawn by Vladimir Putin.”
The letter was signed by 9 senators, together with a number of which have beforehand taken hostile positions on hashish reform.
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jon Tester (D-MT), Steve Daines (R-MT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) joined Casey on the letter.
Notably, they identified that that Fogel has “lived with power ache for many years” and, after a number of surgical procedures failed to alleviate his ache, “a physician really useful medical marijuana as an opioid various to deal with his power ache” in 2021.
That tacit recognition of hashish as an opioid various is very fascinating contemplating the big selection of home marijuana coverage views represented by the signatories.
“Although Mr. Fogel did violate Russian regulation by bringing 17 grams of marijuana to the nation, his sentence is grossly disproportionate to comparable circumstances,” they wrote. “As Russian attorneys have identified, the most typical sentence in comparable circumstances is 5 years of probation.”
This additionally comes a number of weeks after different bipartisan members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation equally pled with the State Division to escalate Fogel’s case, drawing parallels between his and Griner’s cannabis-related convictions.
Final month, a senior White Home official mentioned on a press name that the administration has been “taking a look at” Fogel’s case “for some time now”—however no bulletins have been made and he’s not part of the since-offered prisoner swap deal involving Griner and Paul Whelan, who’s serving a 16-year sentence over alleged espionage in Russia.
Past the discrepancy in how the Biden administration has handled the Griner and Fogel circumstances, advocates have taken concern with the truth that the president is spending a lot political capital to assist one American who’s detained for hashish in Russia whereas refusing to take significant motion to meet marketing campaign guarantees to decriminalize marijuana domestically and free people who find themselves incarcerated for it in U.S. prisons.
Biden did make his first public touch upon marijuana coverage since taking workplace final month, reiterating that he doesn’t imagine folks ought to be incarcerated over the plant.
However even with the chief authority to grant mass pardons to folks with federal hashish convictions, the administration is nonetheless within the technique of exploring its clemency choices, White Home Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre not too long ago mentioned.
Russia, for its half, has taken a very sturdy stance in opposition to reforming hashish coverage on the worldwide stage by means of the United Nations. And it condemned Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.
The deputy of Russia’s Ministry of International Affairs mentioned in March that legalization efforts within the U.S. and Canada are issues “of significant concern for us,” in accordance with a social media publish from the workplace’s official account. “It’s worrisome that a number of Member States of the [European Union] are contemplating violating their drug management obligations.”