The
Russians
slapped
basketball
star
Brittney
Griner
with
a
nine-year
sentence
for
drug
smuggling
because
she
had
.02
ounces
of
cannabis
oil
on
her.
While
her
sentence
is
wholly
unreasonable
even
under
Russia’s
strict
laws,
it’s
generally
understood
that
Griner’s
getting
this
harsh
sentence
as
a
prelude
to
a
prisoner
exchange.
Russia
raises
the
stakes
by
threatening
to
put
Griner
away
for
almost
a
decade
for
having
what
amounts
to
residue
so
we
give
them
back
some
kind
of
vicious
arms
dealer
or
something.
Without
diminishing
the
injustice
being
visited
upon
Griner,
her
nine-year
sentence
should
remind
us
that
when
it
comes
to
backward
countries,
the
United
States
has
its
own
problems.
Looking
at
you,
Mississippi…
The
Mississippi
Supreme
Court
voted
last
week
to
uphold
a
life
sentence
without
the
possibility
of
parole
for
a
man
who
was
convicted
of
possessing
less
than
three
ounces
of
weed.
The
whole
opinion
is
here
and
it’s
bonkers.
Allen
Russell
was
arrested
in
2017
for
possessing
what
amounted
to
1.54
ounces
of
marijuana.
Because
he
had
a
violent
prior
history,
Mississippi
threw
away
the
key.
Or
DID
he
have
a
violent
prior
history?
Because
Mississippi
gets
a
little
creative
with
the
definition
of
“violent.”
During
his
trial,
prosecutors
presented
evidence
that
Russell
had
three
prior
felony
convictions,
two
for
burglary
and
one
for
possession
of
a
firearm
by
a
convicted
felon.
Under
Mississippi
state
law,
a
burglary
is
considered
a
violent
offense,
even
if
no
evidence
of
actual
violence
against
a
person
is
presented
in
a
case.
It
gets
worse
when
you
learn
that
the
state
didn’t
classify
burglary
as
violent
until
after
he
was
released.
It’s
like
an
injustice
issue
spotter.
Everything
about
what’s
happening
to
Brittney
Griner
is
wrong,
but
don’t
let
the
fact
that
a
terrorist
regime
is
trying
to
make
an
example
out
of
her
give
you
a
false
sense
of
moral
superiority.
An
ounce
and
a
half
of
pot
has
a
man
in
prison
without
the
possibility
of
parole
for
the
rest
of
his
life
in
the
United
States
of
America
in
2022!
Hopefully,
if
and
when
the
State
Department
gets
Griner
back,
the
outrage
over
her
sentence
can
carry
over
to
cases
like
Allen’s.
Because
draconian
punishments
for
trace
amounts
of
weed
are
a
problem
on
both
sides
of
the
Bering
Strait.
Mississippi
Supreme
Court
Upholds
Life
Sentence
for
Weed
Possession
[High
Times]