🔗 Share this article

When Jarred Shaw, an American basketball player in Indonesia, descended to the lobby of his residence earlier this year to pick up a package containing smuggled cannabis gummies, he thought the medicine for easing his Crohn’s disease had been delivered.

Indeed it did – however, so did 10 undercover police officers. A video on social media shows Shaw, wearing a dark top and shorts, shouting for help as multiple law enforcement agents attempt to detain him.

Confronting Severe Consequences

The Texan native, aged 35, is confronting potential execution or a long spell behind bars. Previously, he served as an integral player of his Indonesian team, who won the national basketball league in 2023, and he scored over a thousand points across three years in the country. But now he is languishing in pre-trial detention and faces a lifetime ban from the league.

“Cannabis serves as my treatment,” he explained during a call from his cell just outside Jakarta, the capital. “I have an inflammatory condition called Crohn’s that’s untreatable. There’s no medicine apart from cannabis that stops my stomach from aching.”

When not playing, the athlete resides in a neighboring country, where the laws on cannabis are less restrictive. He mentions he had endured the pain of abstaining from cannabis in previous campaigns in Indonesia but says that health reasons spurred him to bring in the seized batch of over a hundred edibles recently. “It was a foolish error,” he says.

Legal and Personal Struggles

But that mistake should not warrant execution or lengthy incarceration, he argues. “I’ve been informed I’m about to spend my entire future in prison for cannabis candies,” he says. “I’ve never been through 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 shares. “Waking up felt unbearable.” But through spiritual practices, as well as access to a prison gym, he is starting to feel himself again despite the tall sportsman shares a cramped cell with a dozen men. “I recently celebrated my 35th birthday but my energy remains high,” notes the ex-college player, who has played in Argentina, Japan, Turkey, Thailand and Tunisia. “I hope to resume my basketball career.”

Medical Use vs. Legal Perception

Shaw, who plays as a center or power forward, explains cannabis helps ease his mental health struggles, in addition to sleeplessness and the pain from Crohn’s. “It’s not for recreation and go party,” he emphasizes. “Due to my digestive issues, it can be challenging for me to keep food down or go to the toilet. It just soothes some of the symptoms.”

Indonesia takes a hard line on drugs and conducted executions in 2016, by firing squad, of an Indonesian and three foreigners convicted of drug offenses. Over five hundred individuals – including almost 100 foreigners – face execution in the country, primarily due to drug-related crimes.

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

Seeking Support and Resolution

Following his detention, authorities told reporters that Shaw might receive life in prison or even the death penalty if found guilty. “We are still running the investigation and halt the international drugs network behind this case preventing further spread,” an official said.

The athlete was presented during a media event, shown in handcuffs 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 cannabis gummies, totaling 869 grams and valued at four hundred dollars.

He said that to charge him with holding nearly a kilogram of cannabis is unjust and “sick,” since the bulk comes from the gummies themselves instead of the active ingredient. “I’ve been charged for a large quantity,” he says. “I didn’t have anything near that.”

The player is seeking donations for his rising legal fees. His trial has not begun although detained months prior, and he awaits his initial court date. “They’re making it seem as if I’m a major trafficker,” 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 a group supporting individuals jailed over cannabis said: “This situation is not an isolated incident. Around the world, people are serving harsh penalties for low-level cannabis crimes that pose no threat to public safety.” In the United States as well, she noted, many people are still imprisoned for similar offenses despite recreational legalization in almost half of states and medical approval in most regions. “Such penalties contradict global human rights norms,” she emphasized.

Possible benefits of cannabis on Crohn’s disease lacks extensive research but recent papers suggest that cannabis may relieve persistent pain without serious side effects. Amid this, public figures have discussed the benefits of cannabis-based medicines.

There are parallels with this case and that of Brittney Griner, the acclaimed player who was imprisoned in another country for nearly a year in 2022 when officials discovered cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage. She was later freed through an exchange with a foreign national.

“Jarred has always been one of the most generous and selfless people one might encounter,” his friend remarked on Shaw’s fundraising page. “He erred. However, it’s unjust that this should ruin his entire future.”

The US embassy in the capital says they know about the situation but would not comment further.

A support worker handling Shaw’s case commented: “Cannabis can’t kill you, but ownership might be. We must get significant focus to this situation in the hope that a favorable outcome will set a powerful precedent. I’m dedicated to ensuring he returns to his mother.”

• The Indonesian National Police offered no reply regarding inquiries on this matter.