Will the Brittney Griner incident make the US government change its cannabis laws?

Brittney Griner could end up in a Russian jail for up to 10 years just for being caught with some hash vape cartridges in her carry-on.

Griner’s case has sparked national outrage and spread to all sorts of groups, from celebrities to cannabis activists to civilians. Many are wondering if it will trigger a change in US cannabis laws at the federal level.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

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The Russian Customs Service statement explains why Griner was arrested and how. “When a US citizen was passing through the Green Channel at Sheremetyevo Airport on arrival from New York, a working dog from the Canine Department of Sheremetyevo Customs noted the possible presence of narcotics in the accompanying baggage,” the US citizen’s carry-on baggage confirmed the presence of vapes with specifically smelling liquid, and an expert determined that the liquid was cannabis oil (hash oil), which is a narcotic substance.”

Despite public outrage at Russia’s harsh cannabis rulings, the US is not a safe haven for cannabis. Cannabis has slowly been adopted in every state, to a degree where it is a common smell and sight in major cities. Yet it remains a Schedule I drug at the federal level. This means that anyone, US citizens and non-US citizens, faces a prison sentence if caught crossing state lines.

Although Griner is an athlete and a celebrity, the US government’s response has been muted and slow. Griner was arrested on February 17 and pleaded guilty last Thursday, alleging she had no intention of violating Russian law. People aware of cannabis laws and the Biden administration’s track record with cannabis have little hope for change.

Very little progress was made on cannabis during the Biden administration. The government has not pushed ahead with any cannabis policy, although Biden has promised to release people jailed for nonviolent cannabis offenses and erase their records.

Last Wednesday, Biden spoke to Griner’s wife and claimed he was working to get her released as soon as possible. Still, there is very little evidence to support these claims. To make matters worse, there are currently no diplomatic relations between Russia and the United States.

RELATED: Democrats send letter to Biden urging him to legalize weed

Over the past week, various prominent senators have called on Biden to use his authority as president to decriminalize cannabis. “We call on the Biden administration to act quickly to right this decades-long injustice that has been hurting individuals, particularly black and brown communities,” the letter said.

Griner currently plays for WNBA team Phoenix Mercury and has played for Russian team UMMC for the past few offseasons.