Brittney Griner Cancels Speech At Marijuana Event After Discovering Threatening Message In Her Hotel Room

Brittney Griner—a U.S. skilled basketball participant who was beforehand incarcerated in Russia over possession of marijuana—has pulled out of an look at a hashish occasion after discovering what she felt was a threatening message in her lodge room.

Griner was slated to talk on the Women Grow Leadership Summit in Maryland on Monday, however the hashish advocacy group tells Marijuana Moment she would not be collaborating after discovering a observe on duct tape in her room that learn “Gay Baby Jail.”

Griner is overtly homosexual and, as famous, was incarcerated over marijuana possession. But it’s not clear whether or not the message in her room was supposed for her.

Conference attendees had hoped to listen to from Griner concerning the nature of her incarceration in Russia, which helped gas worldwide debate about hashish prohibition legal guidelines domestically and overseas.

Meanwhile, the occasion additionally featured a video message from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), who spoke concerning the state’s expertise enacting marijuana legalization with an eye fixed towards social fairness.

“Women Grow and our community are under attack in an effort to disrupt, intimidate, and silence us,” Women Grow CEO Chanda Macias mentioned. “This is not just a threat against one person—it is a threat against all of us. This is unacceptable.”

“Brittney Griner arrived to be with us but felt unsafe because of threatening objects and words left inside her hotel room. For her safety, she chose to return home,” she mentioned.

“The Gaylord [hotel] has assured us that the conference and its guests are safe; they have represented that the threat at issue was a meme joke left by a prior guest and unfortunately missed by cleaning staff,” she mentioned. “Regardless of whether this was a targeted attack or an unfortunate coincidence, the entire Women Grow community and I wholeheartedly support Brittney’s decision and stand with her at this time.”

“Attacking women for coming together to lead and create change will not stop us. We are actively working with the venue and authorities to investigate how this happened and hold those responsible accountable. The safety of every woman at this conference remains our top priority.  Women Grow was founded on the belief that women should be able to lead without fear or intimidation. Our commitment to empowering women in cannabis is stronger than ever. We will not be silenced. We will continue on.”

According to Know Your Meme, “Gay Baby Jail” is a “a humorous term used to refer to a character or person trapped in a jail cell, box or other punishment location.” It can also be typically used to refer to conditions the place video video games grow to be softlocked, which is when a participant turns into caught and can’t progress as a consequence of a glitch or a design flaw.

Marijuana Moment reached out to a audio system bureau that books appearances for Griner, however a consultant wasn’t acquainted with the state of affairs and couldn’t present remark.

There are a number of layers of context to digest for hashish coverage reform advocates.

For instance, Russia on Monday freed an American citizen who was facing charges over alleged possession of cannabis—simply as Griner was convicted of in the identical nation—doubtlessly diverting one other worldwide battle stemming from marijuana prohibition.

It was particularly notable that Russian authorities introduced the arrest of the 28-year-old American over hashish final week provided that it got here within the midst of the Trump administration celebrating a prisoner swap that led to the release of another American, Marc Fogel, who was incarcerated in Russia over medical marijuana he used to deal with ache.

The administration had negotiated Fogel’s high-profile launch for possession of medical marijuana in Russia that he obtained lawfully as a registered hashish affected person in Pennsylvania.

Following an historic, multinational prisoner swap final summer season, the place a number of Americans have been launched, bicameral legislators despatched a letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing their “gravest of concerns” concerning the continued imprisonment of Fogel.

The lawmakers additionally famous that Fogel’s state of affairs is corresponding to that of Griner, who additionally served time in a Russian jail over possession of hashish oil that she additionally lawfully obtained as a medical marijuana affected person in Arizona before being released as part of an earlier prisoner swap that the Biden administration negotiated.

Russia, for its half, has taken a very sturdy stance against reforming cannabis policy at the international level by the United Nations. And it condemned Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.

Outside of this newest controversy over Griner, on the Women Grow event, the governor of Maryland individually spoke to his state’s expertise legalizing hashish.

“Creating equitable opportunities in the cannabis industry isn’t just about business—it’s about justice,” Moore mentioned. “Maryland is setting the standard for how we can repair the harms of the past while building a more inclusive and thriving future.”

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Image factor courtesy of Lorie Shaull/Wikimedia.