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As Jarred Shaw, a US athlete playing in Indonesia, descended to the lobby of his residence earlier this year to pick up a package with smuggled cannabis gummies, he thought his medication for easing his chronic inflammatory condition had arrived.

Indeed it did – but so too had 10 undercover police officers. A video on social media shows the athlete, dressed in a dark top and shorts, crying out in distress 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. Previously, he served as a key member of his Indonesian team, which clinched the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) 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 faces a lifetime ban from the IBL.

“I use cannabis as a medicine,” he explained during a call from a prison just outside Jakarta, the capital. “I suffer from an inflammatory condition called Crohn’s disease that’s untreatable. There’s no medicine besides cannabis that stops my abdominal pain.”

When not playing, the athlete lives in a neighboring country, where the laws on cannabis are less restrictive. He mentions he had endured discomfort of going without cannabis in previous campaigns in Indonesia but says that health reasons spurred him to import the intercepted supply of over a hundred edibles this year. “It was a foolish error,” he admits.

Challenges in Law and Life

However, this error should not warrant execution or lengthy incarceration, he contends. “There’s people telling me I’m about to spend the rest of my life behind bars for cannabis candies,” he states. “This is unlike any previous experience.” In the first two months following his detention, he was at “my most difficult period” and in a “really dark mental place.”

“I experienced isolation and despair,” 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 multiple inmates. “I just turned 35 but I still feel young,” says the ex-college player, with experience in Argentina, Japan, Turkey, Thailand and Tunisia. “I would love to continue my basketball career.”

Medical Use vs. Legal Perception

The player, a center or power forward, says cannabis alleviates his anxiety and depression, in addition to sleeplessness and the discomfort of his condition. “It’s not for recreation and go party,” he emphasizes. “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 on drugs and conducted executions in 2016, via shooting, of several individuals found guilty of drug-related crimes. Over five hundred individuals – with nearly a hundred foreigners – face execution in the nation, primarily due to drug-related crimes.

Indonesian police have said that the athlete messaged to his teammates indicating he planned to distribute portions of the edibles with them. “Their definition of narcotics, I view as treatment,” says Shaw. “It’s just different cultures.”

Seeking Support and Resolution

After Shaw’s arrest, police officials informed the media that the American could face a life sentence or possibly execution if found guilty. “Our ongoing investigation aims to uncover and halt the international drugs network behind this case and to stop its distribution,” an official stated.

The athlete was presented at a press conference, 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 cannabis gummies, which weigh 869 grams in total and are worth $400.

He said that to charge him with holding nearly a kilogram of cannabis is unjust and “disturbing,” since most of the weight comes from the gummies themselves instead of the cannabis content. “I’ve been charged for almost a kilo,” he says. “My actual possession was far less.”

Shaw is fundraising for mounting court costs. His trial has not begun although detained months prior, and he is still waiting for a first appearance date. “They’re making it seem like I’m this big drug dealer,” he asserts. “Why would I bring these items to sell? They were for my own needs.”

Wider Implications and Advocacy

An advocacy director from an organization supporting the release of people jailed over cannabis said: “This situation is not unique. Around the world, people are serving extreme sentences for low-level cannabis crimes which are not dangerous to society.” In the United States as well, she noted, tens of thousands are still imprisoned for cannabis offences even with legalization in almost half of states and a medical greenlight in all but two. “Such penalties contradict international human rights standards,” she emphasized.

Possible benefits of cannabis on Crohn’s disease lacks extensive research but recent studies have indicated that cannabis may relieve persistent pain without serious side effects. Amid this, leaders have highlighted the benefits of cannabis treatments.

Similarities exist between Shaw’s case and the situation of Brittney Griner, the decorated American basketball player who was imprisoned in Russia for 10 months in 2022 after authorities found cannabis products in her bags. Griner was eventually released through an exchange with a foreign national.

“Jarred has always been one of the most generous and selfless people you could meet,” a close associate remarked in a supportive statement. “He erred. But I don’t believe that this should ruin his entire future.”

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

A support worker handling Shaw’s case commented: “Cannabis itself is not lethal, but ownership might be. It’s crucial to draw as much attention on this case so that a favorable outcome will set a powerful precedent. I am committed to ensuring he returns to his mother.”

• Local authorities did not respond to a request for comment on this matter.