American Basketball Player โฃFaces Severe Penalties in Indonesia forโ Hemp Jellies
American basketball player Jarredโค Shaw is โcurrently detainedโฃ in Jakarta,Indonesia,facing a potential life imprisonment or death โฃpenalty for โpossession โขof hemp-containingโข jellies.Shaw, a former player for the Right Bandung team and โค2023 Indonesian championship winner, was โขarrested after receiving a packageโฃ containing the jellies in his apartment.
Shaw claims he believedโค the jellies โcontained medicine to โtreat his chronicโฃ Crohn’s disease, aโ condition heโ manages with hemp. He โคstated he had โpreviously avoided treatment due to concerns about Indonesian โฃlaw, but โคthis yearโฃ ordered 132โข jellies from Thailand,โ where the substance is legal.
Indonesian authorities โขallege Shaw intended โto distribute the โขjellies โto his teammates and accuse him ofโค possessing nearly a kilogram of drugs. shaw disputesโค this, arguing the weight includes the candy itself and that the amount of hemp is considerably less.
“I made a stupid mistake,” Shaw told โฃ the Guardian โคfrom prison. “But this mistake should not โcost me life or โtheโค whole future.”
Hisโ case has drawn comparisons to that ofโ Brittney Griner, the American basketball player โขarrested in Russia on THCโ charges. Prisonerโฃ rights organizations, includingโ theโ Last Prisoner Project, are calling for interventionโฃ in Shaw’s case.
Five months have passed since โฃhis arrest, and Shaw is still awaiting his first โขcourt โขhearing. He is โขcurrently fundraising to cover his legalโค expenses, with advocates โขprioritizing his safe return home.