FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 4, 2022
Contact: Violet Cavendish
vcavendish@mpp.org
Washington, DC – Marijuana Policy Project President & CEO Toi Hutchinson issued the following statement on the conviction and sentencing of WNBA star Brittney Griner by a Russian judge in a case with global political implications:
“The Marijuana Policy Project stands with the millions of Americans, including the family and loved ones of Brittney Griner, calling for her immediate release. We unequivocally condemn this imprisonment of an American athletic hero and the incarceration of anyone for consuming cannabis, which has been used as a plant-based medicine for millennia. MPP vows to continue our fight to legalize cannabis and free those unfairly imprisoned for possession around the world and right here in the United States. We will not stop fighting until both the plant and the people are freed.”
The Marijuana Policy Project issued its decriminalization report: Behind the Times: The 19 States Where a Joint Can Still Land You in Jail, in March of 2022. Nineteen states and the federal government continue to penalize simple possession of cannabis, with Black people being the primary sector of the population most affected by these injustices. Additionally, the ACLU’s report A Tale of Two Countries found that depending on the jurisdiction, Black people were up to ten times more likely to be arrested for simple marijuana possession compared to their white counterparts.
We at the Marijuana Policy Project advocate for Brittney Griner’s release and continue our advocacy for national cannabis legalization.
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Founded in 1995, the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is the nation’s leading cannabis policy reform organization. MPP has played a central role in passing dozens of cannabis policy reforms in states across the country, including 10 successful cannabis legalization campaigns, and also works to advance federal reforms.