Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, briefly appeared in court in Khimki, Moscow region, on Tuesday as her defense team presented evidence.
Griner, 31, pleaded guilty to drug-related offenses earlier this month, but the US State Department says she was wrongly imprisoned. You face up to 10 years in prison. Griner’s supporters have called for her release over fears that she will be used as a political pawn in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
At Tuesday’s hearing, which lasted about an hour, a narcologist brought in by Griner’s attorneys said that based on the WNBA player’s prescription, it was likely that Griner used the cannabis oil found in her luggage for medical rather than recreational purposes have used.
Narcologist Mikhail Tetyushkin explained that “medicinal cannabis is a popular treatment, especially among athletes” in many countries outside of Russia.
Tetyushkin submitted information to the court about the use of medical marijuana by athletes, saying that the frequent use of cannabinoids was incompatible with professional sports due to the relaxing effects and the inhibition of reaction times.
He also told the court Tuesday that there is no global standard for the amount of cannabinoids in medical marijuana.
Griner’s lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, told the court that an initial report by the prosecutor’s expert was “inconsistent” and did not meet scientific and legal standards.
Blagovolina said the prosecutor’s expert report did not determine the quantitative content of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the cannabis oil found in Griner’s luggage. THC is the main psychoactive substance in cannabis.
When the hearing was over, Blagovolina said Tetyushkin “explained that medicinal cannabis is a popular treatment especially among athletes in different countries – especially in the US”.
“So, with the prescription in place, Brittney may have used it for medicinal but not recreational purposes,” Blagovolina added.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Elizabeth Rood attended Tuesday’s hearing, the fifth so far in Griner’s criminal trial.
The trial is scheduled to end early next month, Griner’s attorneys said.
Griner detained since February
The Phoenix Mercury basketball star was arrested at a Moscow airport in February with less than a gram of cannabis oil in his luggage. Griner, who is playing in the off-season of the WNBA in Russia, has since been held on drug smuggling charges. Her trial began in early July.
At the beginning of her trial in Moscow, a prosecutor accused Griner of deliberately smuggling the drugs into Russia. Griner told the court she had no intention of committing a crime and it was the result of her hasty packing, state news agency RIA Novosti reported. Her defense team told Russian judges that her medicinal cannabis was prescribed for “severe chronic pain.”
The defense hopes that the lawsuit will be considered a mitigating circumstance and that the verdict will not be harsh.
The decision to plead guilty was made solely by Griner, a source close to her said. But in the past few weeks, Griner, her family, lawyers and experts had discussed this decision extensively. Given the reported 99% conviction rate in Russian criminal cases, Griner was asked to weigh all factors, including a plea that could ultimately result in a shorter sentence.
Some have speculated that Griner could be released and brought back to the US as part of a prisoner swap, as has Trevor Reed, an American veteran who was held in Russia for three years before his release in April.
Still, Griner was expected to be convicted and also admitted his guilt before a possible prisoner swap, a senior US official told CNN. Reed was required to sign a document acknowledging his guilt just days before his release — something he had resisted for most of his incarceration — the officer said.
“Please do not forget me”
Many in the WNBA, along with other athletes, coaches and politicians have called for Griner’s release. Writing a letter to President Joe Biden, delivered to the White House this month, Griner said she fears being held indefinitely in Russia.
“I realize that you are involved in so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American prisoners. Please do whatever you can to get us home,” Griner wrote. “I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore it.”
Griner has some supporters in Russia, where she played during the WNBA offseason. A former teammate and the director of UMMC Ekaterinburg — the team Griner played with in western Russia until her contract expired after her arrest — testified at an earlier hearing.
“Brittney has always been a good teammate, so my job here is to support and be there for her,” team captain Evgeniya Belyakova said after the hearing.
Belyakova, a former captain of the Russia national team, added: “We miss her and her energy so much. I was very happy to see her. I hope the process ends soon and ends well.”
This story has been updated with additional developments and background information.
CNN’s Niamh Kennedy, Abby Phillip, Dakin Andone and Alaa Elassar contributed to this report.