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As Jarred Shaw, an American basketball player in Indonesia, descended to his apartment lobby earlier this year to collect a delivery with illegally imported cannabis gummies, he believed the medicine for relieving his chronic inflammatory condition had been delivered.

It had – however, so did 10 undercover police officers. A video on social media depicts Shaw, dressed in a dark top and shorts, shouting for help as the swarm of officers attempt to detain him.

Confronting Severe Consequences

The Texan native, aged 35, is confronting the possibility of execution or extended imprisonment. He was a key member of Prawira Bandung, which clinched the national basketball league in 2023, and he scored more than 1,000 points over three seasons in the country. However, currently he is languishing in detention before trial and is banned for life from the IBL.

“Cannabis serves as my treatment,” he explained during a call from a prison just outside Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. “I suffer from an inflammatory condition called Crohn’s that’s untreatable. No other medication apart from cannabis that relieves my abdominal pain.”

During the off-season, the athlete resides in Thailand, where the laws on cannabis are more liberal laws. He says he previously suffered discomfort of abstaining from cannabis in earlier seasons in Indonesia but says that health reasons spurred him to import the intercepted supply of over a hundred edibles this year. “I made a stupid mistake,” he admits.

Legal and Personal Struggles

But that mistake does not justify execution or lengthy incarceration, he argues. “There’s people telling me I could end up spending my entire future behind bars over some edibles,” he states. “I’ve never been through anything like this.” In the first two months following his detention, he was at “the lowest point in [my] life” and in a “deeply troubled state of mind.”

“I experienced isolation and despair,” he shares. “I didn’t want to wake up again.” But through spiritual practices, along with time in a detention center gym, he is starting to feel himself again despite the tall sportsman shares a cramped cell with a dozen men. “I recently celebrated my 35th birthday but I still feel young,” says the ex-college player, who has played in multiple countries. “I hope to resume my basketball career.”

Treatment Needs Versus Drug Laws

Shaw, who plays as a center or power forward, says cannabis helps ease his anxiety and depression, in addition to sleeplessness and the pain from Crohn’s. “I don’t use it to have fun and go party,” he emphasizes. “With my stomach condition, sometimes it’s hard for me to keep food down or use the restroom. It just soothes some of the symptoms.”

Indonesia takes a hard line regarding narcotics and conducted executions in 2016, via shooting, of several individuals convicted of drug offenses. More than 500 people – including almost 100 foreigners – are on death row in the country, mostly for drug-related crimes.

Law enforcement have said that Shaw sent text messages his fellow players saying that he would share some of the cannabis candies with them. “What they consider drugs, I consider medicine,” he remarks. “It’s just different cultures.”

Seeking Support and Resolution

After Shaw’s arrest, authorities told reporters that the American might receive a life sentence or even the death penalty if found guilty. “Our ongoing investigation aims to the investigation and halt global drug networks involved and to stop its distribution,” a representative said.

The athlete was presented during a media event, shown in handcuffs dressed in detention attire and a black face mask. He faced away from spectators as police chiefs displayed the cannabis gummies, totaling 869 grams and valued at four hundred dollars.

He said that to charge him with holding nearly a kilogram of cannabis is unjust and “disturbing,” given that most of the weight is made up by the gummies themselves rather than the cannabis content. “I’m accused of a large quantity,” he says. “My actual possession was far less.”

Shaw is fundraising for his rising legal fees. His trial has not begun despite being arrested five months ago, and he is still waiting his initial court date. “It’s being portrayed as if I’m a major trafficker,” he says. “Why would I bring these items to sell? They were for my own needs.”

Wider Implications and Advocacy

A representative from an organization supporting the release of people jailed over cannabis commented: “This situation is not an isolated incident. Around the world, individuals face harsh penalties for low-level cannabis crimes which are not dangerous to society.” Even in the US, she added, tens of thousands are still imprisoned for cannabis offences despite recreational legalization in numerous states and a medical greenlight in most regions. “Such penalties contradict global human rights norms,” she emphasized.

Possible benefits of cannabis for Crohn’s lacks extensive research but recent papers suggest that cannabis can ease chronic lower back pain with minimal risks. This comes as, public figures have discussed the benefits of cannabis treatments.

Similarities exist with this case and that of another American athlete, the acclaimed player who was imprisoned in Russia for nearly a year in 2022 when officials discovered cannabis products in her luggage. Griner was eventually released as part of a prisoner swap with a foreign national.

“Jarred has always been an exceptionally kind and caring individual one might encounter,” a close associate said on Shaw’s fundraising page. “Jarred made a mistake. However, it’s unjust that mistake should cost him his entire future.”

The US embassy in Jakarta stated they know about the situation but declined additional details.

An advocacy assistant handling Shaw’s case commented: “Cannabis can’t kill you, but possessing it can. We must get significant focus on this case so that a favorable outcome will set a powerful precedent. I am committed to making sure he returns to his family.”

• Local authorities offered no reply regarding inquiries on this matter.