‘Cannabis is My Medication’: The US Basketball Player Facing Death Penalty Over $400 Worth of Cannabis Candies.

When the American basketball player, a US athlete playing in Indonesia, descended to his apartment lobby earlier this year to pick up a package with smuggled cannabis gummies, he thought the medicine for relieving his chronic inflammatory condition had been delivered.

It had – but so too had a team of ten plainclothes officers. Footage circulating online shows Shaw, dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts, shouting for help as multiple law enforcement agents attempt to detain him.

Facing Harsh Penalties

The Texan native, aged 35, is confronting the possibility of execution or extended imprisonment. He was an integral player of his Indonesian team, who won the national basketball league in 2023, and he scored over a thousand points across three years in the nation. However, currently he is languishing in pre-trial detention and faces a lifetime ban from the IBL.

“I use cannabis as a medicine,” he stated over the phone from a prison near Jakarta, the capital. “I suffer from a chronic inflammation called Crohn’s disease that’s incurable. No other medication apart from cannabis that stops my abdominal pain.”

During the off-season, Shaw resides in a neighboring country, where cannabis is subject to less restrictive. He says he previously suffered the pain of going without cannabis in previous campaigns in Indonesia but says that health reasons led him to bring in the intercepted supply of over a hundred edibles this year. “I made a stupid mistake,” he admits.

Challenges in Law and Life

However, this error does not justify the death penalty or a long spell in prison, he contends. “There’s people telling me I’m about to spend my entire future behind bars over some edibles,” he says. “I’ve never been through any previous experience.” Initially, for weeks after his arrest, he was at “my most difficult period” and in a “really dark mental place.”

“I experienced isolation and despair,” he shares. “I didn’t want to wake up again.” But through spiritual practices, along with time in a detention center gym, he is starting to feel himself again despite the tall sportsman occupies a small cell with multiple inmates. “I recently celebrated my 35th birthday but my energy remains high,” notes the former Utah State basketballer, with experience in Argentina, Japan, Turkey, Thailand and Tunisia. “I hope to resume my basketball career.”

Medical Use vs. Legal Perception

Shaw, who plays as a center or power forward, explains cannabis helps ease his anxiety and depression, in addition to insomnia and the pain from Crohn’s. “I don’t use it to have fun or social events,” he emphasizes. “Due to my digestive issues, sometimes it’s hard for me to keep food down or use the restroom. It just soothes the pain a little bit.”

Indonesia takes a hard line regarding narcotics and carried out executions in 2016, via shooting, of several individuals found guilty of drug offenses. More than 500 people – including almost 100 foreigners – face execution in the nation, primarily due to drug-related crimes.

Indonesian police have said that Shaw sent text messages his fellow players indicating he planned to distribute portions of the edibles among them. “Their definition of narcotics, I view as treatment,” he remarks. “Cultural perspectives vary.”

Seeking Support and Resolution

After Shaw’s arrest, police officials informed the media that the American might receive life in prison or even the death penalty upon conviction. “Our ongoing investigation aims to uncover to uncover the international drugs network involved preventing further spread,” an official said.

The athlete was presented during a media event, appearing with his hands cuffed wearing an orange prison-issue T-shirt and a black face mask. He faced away from spectators as officials exhibited the seized candies, which weigh 869 grams in total and valued at four hundred dollars.

He said that accusing him of possession of almost a kilo of cannabis is unfair and “disturbing,” given that most of the weight is made up by the candy material instead of the cannabis content. “I’ve been charged for almost a kilo,” he notes. “My actual possession was far less.”

The player is seeking donations for his rising legal fees. He has not yet appeared in court despite being arrested five months ago, and he is still waiting his initial court date. “It’s being portrayed as if I’m a major trafficker,” he says. “What reason would I have to import these items to sell? It was for personal use.”

Wider Implications and Advocacy

A representative from an organization campaigning for individuals jailed over cannabis commented: “This situation is not unique. Around the world, individuals face extreme sentences for low-level cannabis crimes which are not dangerous to public safety.” Even in the US, she added, tens of thousands remain incarcerated for similar offenses despite recreational legalization in almost half of states and medical approval in most regions. “Such penalties contradict global human rights norms,” she stated.

The potential efficacy of cannabis for Crohn’s lacks extensive research but recent papers suggest that cannabis can ease persistent pain without serious side effects. This comes as, leaders have highlighted the benefits of cannabis-based medicines.

Similarities exist with this case and that of Brittney Griner, the decorated American basketball player who was imprisoned in Russia for nearly a year in 2022 when officials discovered cannabis products in her bags. She was later freed through an exchange involving a Russian weapons trafficker.

“He is known as an exceptionally kind and caring individual you could meet,” a close associate said in a supportive statement. “He erred. However, it’s unjust that this should ruin his entire future.”

American officials in the capital stated they know about the situation but declined additional details.

An advocacy assistant involved in the case said: “Cannabis itself is not lethal, but ownership might be. We must get as much attention to this situation in the hope that a positive resolution can influence future cases. I’m dedicated to making sure Jarred gets home to his mother.”

• Local authorities offered no reply regarding inquiries on this matter.