U.S. President Joe Biden is now being urged to help free the American medical marijuana patient, who is imprisoned in Russia as of writing.
Marc Fogel, an American teacher, traveled to Russia in August 2021. However, he was arrested by Russian authorities after he was found possessing medical marijuana. This is quite similar to the case of WNBA star, Brittney Griner; the professional WNBA player was freed in 2022.
Now, U.S. Senator Steve Daines and Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, decided to help Fogel by urging Biden to take action.
Biden Now Urged To Help Free American Medical Marijuana Patient in Russia
According to Schedule 6 Foundation's latest report, McFaul and Daines sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 7.
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In their letter, they are requesting the Biden Administration to designate the medical marijuana patient as wrongfully detained. They also want the U.S. government to prioritize the release of Marc Fogel.
"The top responsibility of any administration needs to be the safety and security of the American people and we cannot allow innocent Americans to be used as pawns for Putin's ambitions," they said via their official letter.
They added that Fogel has strong family ties to the home state. Because of this, they want the Biden Administration to take all the necessary actions to help free the medical marijuana patient so he can return to American soil.
Is Medical Marijuana Illegal in Russia?
Marijuana is illegal in Russia, even if it is used for medical or recreational purposes.
Multiple arrests were already made after foreigners entered the Russian land after they were found carrying medical marijuana.
In April 2019, an Israeli-American woman was arrested at a Moscow airport because she was carrying 9 grams of marijuana.
A New York-based film student was also taken into custody in St. Petersburg for allegedly taking marijuana into Russia.
These are just some of the arrests made by the Russian government against foreigners carrying marijuana.
If you want to see more similar arrests made by the Russian government against foreigners, you can click here.
