CBD and Russia: basketball player Brittney Griner jailed at the airport for having CBD oil.

In view of the current situation, and the war between Russia and Ukraine, here is an article that may interest and challenge you.

According to the NY Times and the Russian agency TASS, Brittney Griner, 7-time WNBA ALL-STAR and member of the US Olympic women's basketball team, was arrested by the Russian Federal Customs Service after they found cannabis oil in his luggage.

She currently plays for the UMMC Ekaterinburg club, which participates in the first women's basketball league in Russia. On March 5, Russian state television published an undated photo of Griner taken at a local police station. Here is the statement of one of the Russian officials in charge of the investigation: "An expert determined that the product was a narcotic, cannabis oil. A criminal case has been opened against a U.S. citizen for smuggling a significant amount of the drug."

When Griner's luggage was checked at Sheremetyevo International Airport, customs reportedly found cannabis oil-based vaping cartridges. It is not known if she was leaving the country or arriving, at that time. Many foreign and American athletes have already left the country following the declaration of war by Russia against Ukraine. It is also not known how long the basketball player has been held in detention, but CCTV footage from the airport in February suggests that she may have been held for two or three weeks already.

A criminal case has been opened against Griner, accused of "large-scale transportation of drugs, a crime punishable by 10 years in prison in Russia" according to the NY times.

As tensions continue to rise between the U.S. and Russia, against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, there are concerns that Brittney Griner's detention is primarily a political tool to pressure the U.S. government, given her status as a sportswoman and celebrity.