Brittney Griner Lawyers Hope For ‘Lenient’ Sentence After Medical Expert Testimony
The trial of WNBA star Brittney Griner continued in Moscow on Tuesday, with her defense staff presenting further evidence to help their posture that the Olympic gold medalist introduced hashish oil to Russia unintentionally, and that the cannabis oil was prescribed by a health care provider and not used for leisure reasons in the United States.
All through Tuesday’s hearing, Griner’s legal professionals introduced in Russian narcologist Mikhail Tetyushkin, who discussed that “medical cannabis is a well-known cure especially among athletes” in a lot of international locations exterior of Russia, because of its therapeutic, anti-inflammatory homes.
According to CNN, Tetyushkin presented details on the use of clinical hashish by athletes, indicating that “the frequent use of cannabinoids is incompatible with professional sports thanks to the influence of relaxation and inhibition of reaction moments.” He also testified about globally use of health-related hashish, saying that there is no global typical “on the quantity of cannabinoids” in health care hashish.
“It is clear that if the use is regular, it has an effect on the nervous technique, decreases the speed of response and considering, decreases bodily activity and the potential to execute hugely coordinated actions, so specialist athletes are unable to use them all the time,” Tetyushkin reportedly advised journalists soon after the listening to.
Griner’s legal professionals offered added destructive drug assessments on Tuesday. One particular of her attorneys,
Maria Blagovolina, advised the courtroom that an original report from the prosecution’s specialist witness was “inconsistent” and not dependent on scientific and lawful benchmarks. Blagovolina mentioned the report did not figure out the quantitative volume of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the cannabis oil found in Griner’s baggage, CNN documented. THC is the key psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
Soon after Tuesday’s hearing, her attorneys ongoing to assert that the hashish oil was introduced to Russia unintentionally and prescribed by a health care provider in the United States.
“We are not arguing that Brittney took it below as a drugs. We are still declaring that she involuntarily brought it below for the reason that she was in a rush,” Alexander Boykov, a single of Griner’s attorneys, explained to journalists on Tuesday. “The Russian community has to know, and the Russian court in the first position has to know, that it was not used for leisure purposes in the United States. It was approved by a doctor.”
Boykov included that “given the variety of extenuating circumstances” in Griner’s case, they count on “a rather lenient verdict.”
“We have a ton of mitigating aspects. So we do hope that the court will acquire it into consideration. And the courts in Russia, in truth, have pretty wide discretion with regard to the sentence,” Blagovolina, a lawyer for Griner, reported.
The Russian International Ministry argued final week that Griner’s arrest and detention is warranted. The ministry has criticized U.S. officials for indicating Griner has been “wrongfully detained.”
“If a U.S. citizen was taken in relationship with the point that she was smuggling prescription drugs, and she does not deny this, then this really should be commensurate with our Russian regional regulations and not with all those adopted in San Francisco, New York and Washington,” Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokesperson, explained in a statement. “If prescription drugs are legalized in the United States, in a number of states, and this is carried out for a prolonged time… this does not signify that all other nations are following the exact path.”
For the duration of a crack in Tuesday’s listening to, ABC Information briefly interviewed Griner. “Good luck on the bar exam,” Griner explained in a information to her spouse, Cherelle, who just lately graduated from law university.
Griner arrived in court docket with two shots of her wife, pals and teammates. When questioned if she experienced any problems, she replied: “No, no complaints. Just ready patiently.”
Tuesday’s hearing, which lasted about one particular hour, is the fifth so much in Griner’s ongoing legal demo in Russia. The case was adjourned until eventually Wednesday afternoon, exactly where the WNBA star is predicted to testify and be cross-examined by prosecutors.
According to her lawyers, the demo is expected to end in early August.