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When the American basketball player, a US athlete playing in Indonesia, went down to his apartment lobby earlier this year to collect a delivery containing smuggled cannabis gummies, he thought his medication for relieving his chronic inflammatory condition had arrived.

It had – but so too had a team of ten plainclothes officers. Footage circulating online depicts the athlete, dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts, crying out in distress as the swarm of officers attempt to detain him.

Facing Harsh Penalties

The 35-year-old from Dallas, Texas, is confronting potential the death penalty or a long spell behind bars. He was a key member of his Indonesian team, 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 league.

“I use cannabis as a medicine,” he stated over the phone from a prison near Jakarta, the capital. “I have a chronic inflammation called Crohn’s disease that’s untreatable. There’s no medicine apart from cannabis that stops my stomach from aching.”

When not playing, Shaw lives in a neighboring country, where cannabis is subject to more liberal laws. He says he previously suffered discomfort of abstaining from cannabis in previous campaigns in Indonesia but explains how medical needs led him to import the intercepted supply of 132 gummies this year. “It was a foolish error,” he says.

Challenges in Law and Life

However, this error does not justify execution or a long spell in prison, he argues. “I’ve been informed I could end up spending the rest of my life in prison over some edibles,” he says. “I’ve never been through anything like this.” In the first two months after his arrest, he reached “the lowest point in [my] life” and in a “really dark mental place.”

“I experienced isolation and despair,” he shares. “Waking up felt unbearable.” Yet, with spiritual practices, along with time in a prison gym, he is starting to feel himself again despite the tall sportsman occupies a small cell with multiple inmates. “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.”

Treatment Needs Versus Drug Laws

Shaw, a center or power forward, explains cannabis helps ease his mental health struggles, as well as insomnia and the discomfort of his condition. “It’s not for recreation or social events,” he emphasizes. “With my stomach condition, it can be challenging to retain meals or go to the toilet. It merely eases the pain a little bit.”

Indonesia takes a hard line regarding narcotics and carried out executions in 2016, via shooting, of several individuals found guilty of drug-related crimes. More than 500 people – with nearly a hundred foreigners – are on death row in the country, primarily due to drug-related crimes.

Law enforcement have said that Shaw sent text messages to his teammates indicating he would share some of the cannabis candies with them. “What they consider drugs, I consider medicine,” he remarks. “Cultural perspectives vary.”

Seeking Support and Resolution

After Shaw’s arrest, authorities told reporters that the American could face a life sentence or even the death penalty upon conviction. “Our ongoing investigation aims to uncover to uncover global drug networks behind this case and to stop its distribution,” a representative stated.

The athlete was presented during a media event, shown in handcuffs dressed in detention attire and a black face mask. He stood with his back to the audience as police chiefs exhibited the cannabis gummies, which weigh 869 grams in total and valued at four hundred dollars.

He said that to charge him with possession of almost a kilo of cannabis is unjust and “disturbing,” since the bulk comes from the gummies themselves rather than the cannabis content. “I’ve been charged for almost a kilo,” he says. “I didn’t have anything near that.”

Shaw is fundraising for mounting court costs. He has not yet appeared in court despite being arrested five months ago, and he awaits his initial court date. “It’s being portrayed like I’m this big drug dealer,” 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: “Jarred’s case is not an isolated incident. Globally, individuals face extreme sentences for non-violent cannabis offenses which are not dangerous to public safety.” Even in the US, she added, 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 run counter to international human rights standards,” she emphasized.

Possible benefits of cannabis on Crohn’s disease lacks extensive research but recent papers have indicated that cannabis can ease persistent pain with minimal risks. Amid this, leaders have highlighted the benefits of cannabis treatments.

There are parallels between Shaw’s case and that of another American athlete, the decorated American basketball player detained in Russia for nearly a year in 2022 after authorities found cannabis products in her luggage. She was later freed through an exchange involving a Russian weapons trafficker.

“Jarred has always been one of the most generous and caring individual one might encounter,” a close associate said in a supportive statement. “Jarred made a mistake. However, it’s unjust that this should ruin his life prospects.”

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

An advocacy assistant handling Shaw’s case commented: “Cannabis itself is not lethal, but possessing it can. We must get as much attention on this case in the hope that a favorable outcome can influence future cases. I’m dedicated to making sure Jarred gets home to his family.”

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