Over a dozen members of Congress are putting pressure on the Biden administration to secure the release of a U.S. citizen incarcerated in Russia over possession of medical marijuana he lawfully obtained in Pennsylvania—with bipartisan lawmakers, including those who generally oppose cannabis reform, emphasizing that access to marijuana is “necessary to subdue his pain.”
About two weeks after an historic, multinational prisoner swap where several Americans were released, the bicameral legislators sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing their “gravest of concerns” about the continued imprisonment of a U.S. teacher, Marc Fogel, and urging the administration to designate him as a wrongfully detained person to escalate diplomatic efforts to secure his release.
The letter, led by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), also requests that Blinken “redouble your efforts to ensure that Marc has access to the medical care and consular services he needs as his health continues to deteriorate.”
Fogel, who used cannabis as an opioid alternative to treat pain, is serving a 14-year sentence after being convicted of “drug smuggling” over possession of a half-ounce of marijuana. After three years of prison, however, he’s yet to be classified as a wrongfully convicted person. President Joe Biden did
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