Griner was arrested at a Moscow airport in February. She admitted in court earlier this month that she had vaping cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage when she arrived in Russia, but claims she had no criminal intent and packed the cartridges by mistake. During her deposition, Phoenix Mercury described taking a grueling 13-hour flight to Moscow from Arizona while recovering from COVID-19. Griner said she still doesn’t know how the hemp oil ended up in her purse, but explained that she had a doctor’s prescription for it and had packed it in a hurry. He recalled being pulled aside at the airport on February 17 after inspectors found the cartridges. Along with the interpreter who provided an incomplete translation, Griner said she was given neither an explanation of her rights nor access to a lawyer and was instructed to sign documents without an explanation of what they implied. After hours of a process she didn’t understand, she was allowed to hand over her personal belongings to a lawyer before being led away in handcuffs, Griner said. She said she received only a rough translation of the complaints during a Feb. 19 hearing where the court allowed her arrest. Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of drug trafficking. Her trial began on July 1 and Wednesday was her first appearance as a witness. The court outside Moscow held five previous hearings that were short, some lasting only about an hour. It’s unclear how long the trial will last, but a judge has ordered Griner to be held until Dec. 20. She went to Russia to play for a Russian team in the WNBA off-season. During Tuesday’s roughly 90-minute court session, a Russian neuropsychologist testified about the global use of medicinal cannabis, which remains illegal in Russia. Griner’s defense team submitted a letter from a US doctor recommending the basketball player use medical cannabis to treat pain. Griner testified Wednesday that she was suffering from pain from injuries sustained during her basketball career. He pointed out that hemp oil is widely used in the United States for medicinal purposes and has fewer negative effects than some other pain relievers. A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said last week that the legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational use in parts of the US has nothing to do with what is happening in Russia. Griner’s slow trial and five-month detention drew sharp criticism from her teammates and supporters in the United States, who officially declared her “unreasonably detained,” a characterization strongly rejected by Russian officials. Griner was arrested in February amid heightened US-Moscow tensions ahead of Russia’s troop deployment to Ukraine later that month. Some supporters argue that he is being held in Russia as a pawn, possibly for a prisoner exchange. American soccer standout Megan Rapinoe last week said she was “obviously being held as a political prisoner.” Russian media have speculated that Griner could be traded for prominent Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is imprisoned in the United States, and that Paul Whelan, an American jailed in Russia for espionage, may also be involved in a swap. US officials have not commented on the prospects for such a trade. Russian officials said no exchange could be discussed until the legal proceedings against Griner were completed.
