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When Jarred Shaw, a US athlete playing in Indonesia, descended to the lobby of his residence in recent months to pick up a package with smuggled cannabis gummies, he believed his medication for relieving his chronic inflammatory condition had been delivered.

It had – but so too had a team of ten plainclothes officers. A video on social media shows Shaw, dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts, crying out in distress as multiple law enforcement agents attempt to detain him.

Confronting Severe Consequences

The 35-year-old from Dallas, Texas, is confronting potential execution or extended imprisonment. Previously, he served as an integral player of his Indonesian team, which clinched the national basketball league in 2023, and he accumulated more than 1,000 points across three years in the nation. However, currently he remains in detention before trial and is banned for life from the league.

“Cannabis serves as my treatment,” he explained over the phone from a prison near Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta. “I suffer from a chronic inflammation called Crohn’s disease that’s untreatable. There’s no medicine besides cannabis that stops my abdominal pain.”

During the off-season, the athlete resides in a neighboring country, where the laws on cannabis are more liberal laws. He mentions he previously suffered the pain of going without cannabis in previous campaigns in Indonesia but says that health reasons spurred him to bring in the seized batch of 132 gummies this year. “It was a foolish error,” he admits.

Legal and Personal Struggles

But that mistake does not justify the death penalty or lengthy incarceration, he argues. “There’s people telling me I’m about to spend the rest of my life behind bars for cannabis candies,” he states. “I’ve never been through any previous experience.” In the first two months after his arrest, he reached “my most difficult period” and in a “really dark mental place.”

“I experienced isolation and despair,” he shares. “Waking up felt unbearable.” But through spiritual practices, along with time in a prison gym, he is gradually recovering despite the 6ft 11in athlete shares a cramped cell with a dozen men. “I recently celebrated my 35th birthday but I still feel young,” notes the ex-college player, with experience in multiple countries. “I would love to continue playing professionally.”

Medical Use vs. Legal Perception

Shaw, who plays as a center or power forward, says cannabis helps ease his mental health struggles, in addition to sleeplessness and the discomfort of his condition. “I don’t use it to have fun or social events,” he clarifies. “With my stomach condition, sometimes it’s hard to retain meals or go to the toilet. It merely eases the pain a little bit.”

The nation enforces strict policies regarding narcotics and conducted executions in 2016, by firing squad, of an Indonesian and three foreigners found guilty of drug offenses. More than 500 people – including almost 100 foreigners – face execution in the nation, mostly for drug-related crimes.

Law enforcement have said that the athlete messaged his fellow players indicating he planned to distribute portions of the edibles among them. “What they consider drugs, I consider medicine,” he remarks. “Cultural perspectives vary.”

Seeking Support and Resolution

Following his detention, police officials told reporters that Shaw could face a life sentence or even the death penalty upon conviction. “Our ongoing investigation aims to uncover and halt global drug networks behind this case preventing further spread,” a representative stated.

Shaw was swiftly paraded at a press conference, shown in handcuffs dressed in detention attire and a black face mask. He faced away from spectators as officials exhibited the seized candies, totaling 869 grams and valued at four hundred dollars.

He argued that accusing him of possession of almost a kilo of cannabis is unjust and “disturbing,” given that the bulk is made up by the gummies themselves rather than the active ingredient. “I’m accused of almost a kilo,” he notes. “My actual possession was far less.”

Shaw is fundraising for his rising legal fees. He has not yet appeared in court although detained months prior, and he awaits for a first appearance date. “They’re making it seem like I’m this big drug dealer,” he asserts. “What reason would I have to import these items for sale? They were for my own needs.”

Wider Implications and Advocacy

A representative from an organization campaigning for the release of people jailed over cannabis commented: “Jarred’s case is not unique. Around the world, people are serving extreme sentences for low-level cannabis crimes that pose no threat to society.” In the United States as well, she noted, many people are still imprisoned for similar offenses even with legalization in almost half of states and a medical greenlight in all but two. “Such penalties run counter to global human rights norms,” she stated.

Possible benefits of cannabis on Crohn’s disease is understudied but recent papers have indicated that cannabis can ease chronic lower back pain with minimal risks. Amid this, leaders have discussed the benefits of cannabis treatments.

There are parallels with this case and the situation of another American athlete, the decorated American basketball player detained in another country for nearly a year in 2022 when officials discovered cannabis vape cartridges in her bags. Griner was eventually released through an exchange involving a Russian weapons trafficker.

“He is known as one of the most generous and caring individual one might encounter,” his friend said in a supportive statement. “Jarred made a mistake. But I don’t believe that this should ruin his entire future.”

The US embassy in the capital says they know about Shaw’s case but would not comment further.

A support worker handling Shaw’s case said: “Cannabis itself is not lethal, but ownership might be. It’s crucial to draw significant focus on this case so that a favorable outcome can influence future cases. I am committed to making sure Jarred gets home to his mother.”

• Local authorities offered no reply to a request for comment on this matter.