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After Brittney Griner back in 2022, two more Americans were freed from Russia after an exchange and upcoming war talks.
First up was Marc Fogel who was detained in August 2021 for possession of medically prescribed marijuana. He was exchanged for a Russian Cybercrime boss who was arrested in 2017.
Then, yesterday another American, Kalob Byers, was freed after a month in a Russian jail for marijuana possession. This one didn’t have an exchange, however a meeting between the US and Russia discussing the Ukraine war is expected today, making the timing likely linked to the meeting to draw more favor for Russia.
Marijuana has become the ideal tool for Russian leverage, considering many Americans think very little of their possession and may forget to take it seriously when they travel to the country. It leaves the door open for extremely imbalanced exchanges, like Marc Fogel for a crime boss.
It’s likely Russia will continue to use their extremely strict marijuana laws in their favor in the future.
