Out of curiosity, do Russians get 10 year sentences for it? That's what's puzzled me.
Yes. Cannabis in Russia is included in the 'List I' of narcotic and psychoactive substances. Russian law says that for the crime Brittney admitted to (yes, Mr Biden/Blinken/Kirby/Sullivan - admitted to), 9 years is the sentence. If she'd had a little more (as Marc Fogel did) it could have been anywhere up to 20 years (for certain amounts it is actually a life sentence). These laws apply equally to Russians and foreigners.
Russia could not possibly be clearer on this issue: by all means drink alcohol until your ears bleed, but do NOT try to bring Class I narcotics across the border, regardless of the amount or whether you have a doctor's note from America saying it's for your glaucoma.
I kind meant in practice, rather than on paper. Maybe this is what you mean, as well, but I'm not sure. If your wife got busted with a joint would she actually wind up doing the 9 years, or is there some sort of probation avenue or something? I ask because over here what the law says and how it's applied are very different things.
For the record, Griner did not have a "joint"; it was my understanding that it was more than just a small, personal amount. There were canisters of hashish oil, enough for the duration of her stay (she was playing in a Russian league in her off season, so her trip was not a couple of days in length).
In many states, including Tejas, any amount of concentrate is a felony. What I was getting at with Dave, though, is that just because it's statutorily a felony doesn't mean they're going to ding you for one. I've never been particularly worried about it here. I'd say that Russia's law is a little outdated, and a little overboard, but not terribly unreasonable compared to some states here.
Out of interest though, what do you think would happen to me if I flew in to Dallas Fort Worth on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow and the good folk at TSA found some cannabis in my bags? Slap on the wrist or "your cellmate's gonna find you awful purty son"?
It's kind of tough because we've got overlapping jurisdictions. As I understand it, TSA doesn't look for drugs and would prefer not to find them. If they cant avoid finding them they'll either throw them out or, in the case of larger amounts, refer to local agencies. Texas would almost certainly treat you like anybody else. There is a distinction between flower and concentrates, which works both for and against you. They're harder to find, and thus easier for TSA to "not find." However the penalties are more severe, and you probably would get busted and go to jail. If it were a joint or a quarter-bag it's unlikely they'd actually bust you. In either case, my hunch is that you'd pay a fine and do a couple of years of probation, at worst. Unless you're a smuggler it's just not that big a deal.
All of this is academic, though. It's not TSA that would get you coming into the country, but Customs and Border Control. They are enforcing federal law. Individual agents would likely take a similar stance to TSA, honestly. It's just not worth their time when simply flushing it is a viable option. At the same time it's certainly possible that they might want to find their own Brittany Griner, in which case you'd get something similar to her treatment. In truth, and if I'm wrong correct me on this, I suspect the Russian airport cops that nabbed her were looking for her and knew they were going to nail her while her flight was still in the air. I seriously doubt this was just a random airport bust. They set out to bust the girl and succeeded. If that happens here then you're off to a federal prison, obviously. Otherwise you're unlikely to do any actual time. Again, fines and probation.
Basically, you're either just some random stoner and highly unlikely to go to prison, most likely, or you're a potential poker chip in the big game, and gods have mercy on you.
Topic: The downfall of Twitter/the rise of X (Read 33626 times)
