🔗 Share this article

When Jarred Shaw, an American basketball player in Indonesia, descended to his apartment lobby earlier this year to collect a delivery containing illegally imported cannabis gummies, he believed the medicine for relieving his Crohn’s disease had arrived.

It had – however, so did a team of ten plainclothes officers. Footage circulating online shows the athlete, dressed in a black T-shirt and shorts, shouting for help as multiple law enforcement agents attempt to detain him.

Facing Harsh Penalties

The 35-year-old from Dallas, Texas, could face potential the death penalty or a long spell behind bars. Previously, he served as an integral player of Prawira Bandung, which clinched the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) in 2023, and he accumulated more than 1,000 points over three seasons in the country. However, currently he remains in detention before trial and faces a lifetime ban from the IBL.

“I use cannabis as a medicine,” he stated over the phone from a prison just outside Jakarta, the capital. “I have an inflammatory condition called Crohn’s that’s untreatable. No other medication apart from cannabis that stops my stomach from aching.”

During the off-season, Shaw resides in Thailand, where the laws on cannabis are less restrictive. He says he previously suffered discomfort of going without cannabis in previous campaigns in Indonesia but explains how health reasons led him to import the intercepted supply of 132 gummies recently. “It was a foolish error,” he says.

Legal and Personal Struggles

However, this error does not justify the death penalty or a long spell in prison, he contends. “There’s people telling me I’m about to spend the rest of my life in prison over some edibles,” he says. “This is unlike any previous experience.” In the first two months after his arrest, he was at “the lowest point in [my] life” and in a “really dark mental place.”

“I experienced isolation and despair,” he recalls. “Waking up felt unbearable.” Yet, with prayer and his faith, along with time in a detention center gym, he is gradually recovering despite the 6ft 11in athlete occupies a small cell with multiple inmates. “I just turned 35 but my energy remains high,” notes the former Utah State basketballer, who has played in multiple countries. “I would love to continue playing professionally.”

Treatment Needs Versus Drug Laws

The player, who plays as a center or power forward, explains cannabis alleviates his mental health struggles, as well as sleeplessness and the pain from Crohn’s. “It’s not for recreation and go party,” he emphasizes. “Due to my digestive issues, sometimes it’s hard to retain meals or use the restroom. It merely eases some of the symptoms.”

Indonesia takes a hard line regarding narcotics and carried out executions in 2016, by firing squad, of an Indonesian and three foreigners convicted of drug offenses. Over five hundred individuals – with nearly a hundred foreigners – face execution in the country, mostly for narcotics violations.

Law enforcement have said that the athlete messaged his fellow players saying that he would share some of the cannabis candies with them. “What they consider drugs, I consider medicine,” says Shaw. “Cultural perspectives vary.”

Fundraising and Future Hopes

After Shaw’s arrest, police officials informed the media that Shaw might receive a life sentence or even the death penalty upon conviction. “We are still running uncover to uncover the international drugs network involved preventing further spread,” an official said.

Shaw was swiftly paraded during a media event, appearing with his hands cuffed wearing an orange prison-issue T-shirt and a black face mask. He stood with his back to the audience as police chiefs exhibited the seized candies, totaling 869 grams 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’m accused of 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 although detained months prior, and he awaits his initial court date. “They’re making it seem like I’m this big drug dealer,” he asserts. “What reason would I have to import the candy here for sale? It was for personal use.”

Broader Context and Support

An advocacy director from a group supporting individuals imprisoned for cannabis-related offences said: “Jarred’s case is not an isolated incident. Around the world, individuals face harsh penalties for non-violent cannabis offenses that pose no threat to public safety.” Even in the US, she noted, many people are still imprisoned for cannabis offences even with legalization in almost half of states and a medical greenlight in most regions. “Such penalties contradict global human rights norms,” she stated.

Possible benefits of cannabis on Crohn’s disease is understudied but recent studies suggest that cannabis may relieve chronic lower back pain with minimal risks. Amid this, public figures have discussed the benefits of cannabis-based medicines.

There are parallels between Shaw’s case and that of Brittney Griner, the acclaimed player detained in another country for nearly a year in 2022 when officials discovered cannabis products in her luggage. Griner was eventually released as part of a prisoner swap involving a Russian weapons trafficker.

“Jarred has always been an exceptionally kind and selfless people you could meet,” his friend said in a supportive statement. “He erred. But I don’t believe that this should ruin his entire future.”

American officials in Jakarta stated they know about Shaw’s case but declined additional details.

An advocacy assistant involved in the case commented: “Cannabis itself is not lethal, but possessing it can. It’s crucial to draw as much attention on this case in the hope that a favorable outcome can influence future cases. I am committed to ensuring Jarred gets home to his mother.”

• The Indonesian National Police offered no reply regarding inquiries for this story.