Brittney Griner Supporters Stage Cannabis 'Smoke Out' Outside Russian Embassy After Sentence Upheld

Glenn Garner
·2 min read
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Brittney Griner Supporters Stage Cannabis 'Smoke Out' Outside Russian Embassy After Sentence Upheld
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Brittney Griner's recent day in court has sparked action among her supporters.

Following a Russian court's decision to uphold her nine-year prison sentence for drug smuggling charges Tuesday, protesters from the advocacy group DC Marijuana Justice gathered outside the country's embassy Thursday in Washington, D.C., where they held a "smoke out" in protest.

The group kicked off the demonstration at 4:20 p.m. local time, requesting of demonstrators: "If you have used vape cartridges, bring them!" The WNBA star was arrested for having vape cartridges in her luggage, containing 0.702 grams of cannabis oil, which is illegal in Russia.

RELATED: Brittney Griner Loses Appeal, Russian Court Upholds 9-Year Prison Sentence

Protestors smoked marijuana and carried a 51-foot inflatable joint that read "Free Britney Griner and the Russians from Putin" in Russian on one side.

The other side read "Free 420 Prisoners," in reference to President Joe Biden's recent federal pardon for simple marijuana possession offenders, which will not result in any federal prisoners being released as possession convictions mostly occur on a state level.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Cannabis advocates carry a fake inflatable joint outside the Russian Embassy to demand the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been imprisoned in Russia since February for cannabis possession, October 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. Earlier this week, a Russian appeals court upheld a nine-year prison sentence imposed on Griner. According to the Biden administration, Russia and the United States have been in frequent contact about a potential prisoner exchange involving Griner and others. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Drew Angerer/Getty

Adam Eidinger, cannabis activist and DC Marijuana Justice co-founder, told The Washington Post: "Just as it's unacceptable for Americans to sit behind bars for simple possession of cannabis, it's absolutely unacceptable for an American sitting in a Russian gulag."

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WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 27: Cannabis advocates deploy green smoke and a fake inflatable joint outside the Russian Embassy to demand the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner, who has been imprisoned in Russia since February for cannabis possession, October 27, 2022 in Washington, DC. Earlier this week, a Russian appeals court upheld a nine-year prison sentence imposed on Griner. According to the Biden administration, Russia and the United States have been in frequent contact about a potential prisoner exchange involving Griner and others. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Drew Angerer/Getty

"We feel compelled to protest the Russian Federation and President Putin, who's clearly using an American citizen as a pawn in his war against Ukraine," Eidinger added.

Ahead of Griner's appeal hearing earlier this week, her lawyers told PEOPLE in a statement: "Brittney is a very strong person and has a champion's character. She of course has her highs and lows as she is severely stressed being separated from her loved ones for over eight months."

US' Women's National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal possession of cannabis, arrives to a hearing at the Khimki Court, outside Moscow on August 4, 2022. - Lawyers for US basketball star Brittney Griner, who is standing trial in Russia on drug charges, said on July 26, 2022 they hoped she would receive a "lenient" sentence.

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty

The Phoenix Mercury center was detained in Russia on drug smuggling charges in February for allegedly possessing hash oil in her luggage. The arrest came days before Russia invaded Ukraine, resulting in mass death and devastation.

Before she was sentenced to nine years in Russian prison in August, Griner pleaded guilty to drug smuggling charges and testified that she "had no intention to break the law" and did not mean to pack the cannabis oil, which she said was prescribed by her doctor.

RELATED VIDEO: What Brittney Griner's Daily Life Has Looked Like in Russian Prison

Griner's imprisonment has sparked a national outcry for her release, as President Biden, 79, has even entered negotiations to potentially exchange the release of Griner and another American prisoner for a Russian prisoner in the U.S.

The State Department has also classified her imprisonment as wrongful detainment.