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When Jarred Shaw, a US athlete playing in Indonesia, descended to his apartment lobby earlier this year to pick up a delivery containing illegally imported cannabis gummies, he believed his medication for easing his chronic inflammatory condition had been delivered.

Indeed it did – but so too had a team of ten plainclothes officers. Footage circulating online depicts the athlete, wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, shouting for help as the swarm of officers move to apprehend him.

Facing Harsh Penalties

The Texan native, aged 35, is confronting potential the death penalty or a long spell behind bars. He was an integral player of his Indonesian team, which clinched the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) in 2023, and he scored more than 1,000 points across three years in the nation. However, currently he remains in pre-trial detention and faces a lifetime ban from the IBL.

“Cannabis serves as my treatment,” he stated during a call from a prison just outside Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. “I have a chronic inflammation called Crohn’s disease that’s untreatable. There’s no medicine besides cannabis that stops my stomach from aching.”

During the off-season, the athlete resides in a neighboring country, where cannabis is subject to less restrictive. He says he previously suffered the pain of abstaining from cannabis in earlier seasons in Indonesia but says that health reasons spurred him to bring in the intercepted supply of 132 gummies this year. “It was a foolish error,” he admits.

Legal and Personal Struggles

However, this error does not justify the death penalty or lengthy incarceration, he argues. “I’ve been informed I’m about to spend the rest of my life in prison for cannabis candies,” he states. “I’ve never been through anything like this.” Initially, for weeks following his detention, he was at “the lowest point in [my] life” and in a “deeply troubled state of mind.”

“I felt helpless and alone,” he recalls. “I didn’t want to wake up again.” Yet, with prayer and his faith, as well as access to a detention center gym, he is gradually recovering despite the tall sportsman occupies a small cell with a dozen men. “I recently celebrated my 35th birthday but my energy remains high,” says the ex-college player, with experience in Argentina, Japan, Turkey, Thailand and Tunisia. “I would love to continue my basketball career.”

Treatment Needs Versus Drug Laws

Shaw, a center or power forward, says cannabis alleviates his mental health struggles, as well as sleeplessness and the pain from Crohn’s. “I don’t use it to have fun or social events,” he emphasizes. “With my stomach condition, sometimes it’s hard to retain meals or use the restroom. It just soothes the pain a little bit.”

Indonesia takes a hard line on drugs and conducted executions in 2016, via shooting, of an Indonesian and three foreigners convicted of drug offenses. Over five hundred individuals – with nearly a hundred foreigners – are on death row in the nation, mostly for narcotics violations.

Law enforcement have said that Shaw sent text messages his fellow players saying that he planned to distribute portions of the edibles with them. “What they consider drugs, I consider medicine,” says Shaw. “Cultural perspectives vary.”

Fundraising and Future Hopes

Following his detention, authorities told reporters that Shaw might receive a life sentence or possibly execution if found guilty. “We are still running the investigation and halt global drug networks behind this case and to stop its distribution,” an official stated.

Shaw was swiftly paraded during a media event, appearing with his hands cuffed wearing an orange prison-issue T-shirt and face covering. He stood with his back to the audience as police chiefs displayed the seized candies, which weigh 869 grams in total and valued at four hundred dollars.

He said that accusing him of possession of almost a kilo of cannabis is unfair and “disturbing,” given that most of the weight is made up by the candy material instead of the cannabis content. “I’ve been charged for a large quantity,” he notes. “I didn’t have anything near that.”

Shaw is fundraising for his rising legal fees. He has not yet appeared in court despite being arrested five months ago, and he awaits his initial court date. “They’re making it seem like I’m this big drug dealer,” he asserts. “Why would I bring the candy here to sell? It was for personal use.”

Broader Context and Support

A representative from an organization supporting individuals imprisoned for cannabis-related offences commented: “Jarred’s case is not an isolated incident. Around the world, individuals face extreme sentences for low-level cannabis crimes which are not dangerous to public safety.” Even in the US, she added, many people remain incarcerated for similar offenses despite recreational legalization in almost half of states and medical approval in most regions. “Such penalties contradict international human rights standards,” she stated.

Possible benefits of cannabis on Crohn’s disease lacks extensive research but recent papers suggest that cannabis can ease persistent pain without serious side effects. This comes as, public figures have highlighted the benefits of cannabis-based medicines.

Similarities exist with this case and the situation of Brittney Griner, the acclaimed player who was imprisoned in another country for nearly a year in 2022 when officials discovered cannabis vape cartridges in her bags. She was later freed through an exchange with a foreign national.

“Jarred has always been an exceptionally kind and selfless people one might encounter,” his friend remarked in a supportive statement. “Jarred made a mistake. But I don’t believe that mistake should cost him his life prospects.”

American officials in the capital says they know about the situation but would not comment further.

A support worker handling Shaw’s case said: “Cannabis can’t kill you, but possessing it can. It’s crucial to draw as much attention on this case so that a positive resolution will set a powerful precedent. I am committed to making sure he returns to his mother.”

• Local authorities did not respond regarding inquiries on this matter.