By Reginald J. Clyne, Esq.

Let us begin with an obvious fact. Brittney Griner was arrested while travelling with an illegal substance. Thousands of people are arrested, detained, and imprisoned in the United States after being found with illegal drugs at its borders, airports, and on its streets. Few Americans are disturbed by the arrest of those found in possession of an illegal substance, and it is also true that 41 states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have legalized medical marijuana programs, with 23 of those decriminalizing cannabis entirely. However, many other countries that prohibit the use of illegal substances such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin have laws that are far harsher than those found in the United States for illegal drug possession.

I see nothing wrong with countries outlawing drugs and imposing harsh penalties for possession. It is the only way to combat the ever-increasing threat of illegal drugs. In the United States in 2019, 70,630 people died as a result of drug-related causes. Between 1968 and 2019, 1,015,000 Americans died as a result of a drug overdose. Stopping these unnecessary deaths strikes me as a good idea. Americans should not be given a pass when they break the laws of other countries by possessing, selling, or using illegal drugs. We should not be treated any differently than a Colombian smuggling drugs into our country. If Americans break a foreign country’s law, they should face the consequences of their actions.

Griner was caught on video with hashish oil in her bag at a Russian airport and admitted to having it. In most countries, travelling with illegal drugs results in a conviction and incarceration, and her celebrity status should not have given her a pass.
How many young people in the United States are arrested for marijuana possession and nothing is said or done to get them out of jail? Even in the Black community, there is little outrage when a 16-year-old Black teen is arrested and incarcerated for marijuana possession.

The United States rallied behind Griner after Russia arrested her for drug possession and sentenced her to nine years in prison under Russian law. According to its own data, the country had 6,300 drug overdose deaths in 2019, which increased to 7,400 in 2021 during the pandemic. In comparison, 93,000 people died in the United States from drug overdoses in 2020, and we hit an all-time high of 107,622 deaths last year. Perhaps Russia’s stricter drug laws have allowed it to keep drug use and deaths much lower than in the United States. After losing a family member to a drug overdose, I would welcome anything that would spare another family the trauma of losing a loved one to the ravages of addiction.

We’ve replaced Griner with Viktor Bout, the “Merchant of Death,” a notorious Russian arms dealer. Was it a wise deal? I will not join the Republican chorus in criticising President Joe Biden for achieving what many Americans desired: the return of a basketball star who became embroiled in Russian-US tensions. It would have been nice if her fellow American imprisoned Paul Whelan had also been released, but second-guessing a difficult negotiation is Monday morning quarterbacking.

The Trump administration freed over 5,000 Taliban prisoners with no conditions attached. It and Republicans did nothing to re-enter former Marines Whelan and Trevor Reed’s lives. Whether you agree or disagree with Biden’s trade of a man who supplied guns to Africa and the Middle East for a female basketball player, he did achieve what the Republicans could not or did not – the return of both Griner and Reed.

Because their loved ones are at home, any trade is a good deal to their families.

Reginald J. Clyne is a Miami trial lawyer who has worked for some of the country’s largest law firms. Clyne has been practising law since 1987, and he has tried cases in both state and federal courts. He has lived in Africa, Brazil, Honduras, and Nicaragua, among other places.