The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution expressing support for Americans incarcerated abroad, including a U.S. Citizen who is serving a fourteen-year sentence due to possession of medical marijuana he legally obtained in Pennsylvania.
The House approved the measure of Rep. Michael McCaul, R-TX, with a vote of 422-0 on Tuesday.
The legislation focuses primarily on Evan Gershkovich. He is a Wall Street Journal journalist who was arrested in Russia on charges of spying in March. This allegation has been widely criticized by U.S. officials, media, and other organizations as being false and political motivated.
Another line in the Resolution says that the House “expresses its continued support for American citizens and lawful Permanent Residents detained abroad and in Russia, including Marc Fogel who is facing a politicized and excessive sentence for the alleged crime.”
Fogel’s arrest has led to numerous calls for increased diplomatic efforts in order to secure his freedom. Bipartisan members have acknowledged that the cannabis Fogel possessed was used medically and had been prescribed by a Pennsylvania doctor.
As an example, Sen. Steve Daines and former U.S. Last week, Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to request that the government designate Fogel’s detention as “wrongful” and to “prioritize his release.”
Officials pointed out that Fogel’s charges were “similar” to those of Brittney Grinders, an American basketballer who was imprisoned by the Russian authorities for possessing vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil. She was deemed wrongfully detained by the State Department before she was freed as part of the prisoner exchange negotiated by the Biden administration.
In late last year, over two dozen members of Congress asked the State Department for a stepped-up diplomatic effort in order to free Fogel. They called his imprisonment because he was using marijuana to treat chronic pain as “unconscionable.”
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Last year, the White House announced that it was actively investigating Fogel’s case. Since then, lawmakers have kept up pressure to ensure they are doing everything possible to secure his freedom.
When asked about the work being done by the administration to secure the freedom of other Americans, like Fogel, who are in prison abroad, Karine Jean-Pierre referred to the State Department. She said that “every situation is different” but did not want to jump ahead of ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Casey, along with several other Democratic senators, wrote a letter to the State Department last year asking them to label the citizen, a teacher from the United States, as having been “wrongfully held.” This came after bipartisan members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation asked the State Department for escalation in Fogel’s case and drew parallels between Griner’s marijuana-related convictions and Casey’s.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price stated last year that officials consider 11 criteria to determine whether an individual case is a case of wrongful detention. If the U.S. believes that due process has been compromised, the arrest was made solely on the basis of being a U.S. citizen, or the individual is innocent, then a wrongful designation would be warranted.
Russia has, on its part, taken a particularly strong position against the reformation of cannabis policy at an international level via the United Nations. It also condemned Canada’s decision to legalize marijuana across the country.
According to an official social media account, the deputy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated last year that the legalization efforts of the U.S.A. and Canada were “of great concern” for the country. It is alarming that some EU member states are considering breaking their drug control obligations.
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Photo by Mike Latimer.
The post House Passes Unanimous Resolution Supporting American Prisoned for Medical Marijuana in Russia first appeared on Marijuana Moment.
