Russia recently freed an American citizen charged with cannabis possession, potentially defusing an international conflict sparked by prohibition of cannabis use.
Kalob Byers was arrested by Russian police earlier this month upon discovering marijuana products in his luggage at Moscow International Airport; reports indicate he has now been freed.
No details have emerged as to why an American was released, yet his freedom comes days before U.S. and Russian officials meet on Tuesday at which war in Ukraine will likely come up as the primary focus.
Russian authorities announced Byers’ arrest due to cannabis during a period where President Donald Trump celebrated a prisoner exchange deal that led to the release of another American, Marc Fogel, imprisoned due to using medical cannabis to treat pain. This announcement by Russian authorities made headlines worldwide and caught everyone off-guard.
Russian Federal Customs Service announced on Friday that an arrest had been made of an American for trafficking drugs in large quantities.
Reporting regarding what form of cannabis Byers was in possession of was mixed; with some accounts reporting him being arrested with cannabinoid-infused marmalade while Russian state media described these products as CBD gummies.
Notably, Russian media outlet TASS reported on Monday that Byers told them a doctor in the U.S. prescribed them before leaving home; an Associated Press source then informed them he had been released at nightfall to the American embassy in Moscow.
Dmitry Peskov of the Kremlin was quoted by this outlet as telling them they expected Russian officials “to discuss restoring all aspects of Russian-American relations at talks between U.S. Saudi Arabia on Tuesday so events may be seen within this framework.”
Fogel was arrested shortly after news broke of a high-profile release negotiation from Russia for possessing cannabis legally acquired via Pennsylvania registered cannabis patient status.
Fogel was wrongfully detained by the State Department last year, prompting several calls for diplomatic status change, with over two dozen members of Congress writing to Biden administration representatives to request it in August, emphasizing how his access to marijuana was essential in relieving his pain.
As part of an historic, multinational prisoner swap last summer where several Americans were released, bipartisan legislators sent a letter to then Secretary of State Antony Blinken voicing their grave concern over Fogel’s continued imprisonment.
Lawmakers also compared Fogel’s situation to that of former WNBA player Brittney Griner, who served time in Russian prison after illegally purchasing cannabis oil through medical cannabis patient eligibility in Arizona prior to being freed as part of an earlier prisoner swap agreement arranged by Biden administration.
Russia, for its part, has taken an especially firm stance against reform of cannabis policy through the UN and has strongly criticised Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.
New Mexico Lawmakers Vote To Strengthen Employment Protections For Medical Marijuana Patients
Photo Courtesy of Mike Latimer. MEDCAN24’s existence relies heavily on reader support; our cannabis advocacy journalism couldn’t exist without them! If our reporting keeps you up-to-date and informed, consider making a monthly Patreon pledge (function(d,s,id): For each tag name (s, id); retrieve element by tag name using tagName()[0], (if (d.getElementById(id) returns true or createElement(s); assign this value js as ID; this line creates the relevant set for display purposes on screen
“//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.4”; parinti ParentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs); [Ad_2]