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When Jarred Shaw, a US athlete playing in Indonesia, descended to his apartment lobby in recent months to collect a package containing smuggled cannabis gummies, he believed the medicine for relieving his Crohn’s disease had arrived.

It had – but so too had a team of ten plainclothes officers. A video on social media depicts the athlete, wearing a black T-shirt and shorts, crying out in distress as the swarm of officers move to apprehend him.

Confronting Severe Consequences

The Texan native, aged 35, could face the possibility of execution or a long spell behind bars. He was an integral player of his Indonesian team, which clinched the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) in 2023, and he scored over a thousand points across three years in the country. However, currently he remains in detention before trial and is banned for life from the IBL.

“I use cannabis as a medicine,” he stated over the phone from a prison just outside Jakarta, the capital. “I suffer from an inflammatory condition called Crohn’s that’s incurable. There’s no medicine besides cannabis that stops my abdominal pain.”

During the off-season, the athlete lives in Thailand, where the laws on cannabis are less restrictive. He says he previously suffered the pain of going without cannabis in earlier seasons in Indonesia but explains how health reasons led him to bring in the intercepted supply of 132 gummies this year. “It was a foolish error,” he says.

Legal and Personal Struggles

But that mistake does not justify the death penalty or a long spell in prison, he argues. “I’ve been informed I could end up spending my entire future behind bars over some edibles,” he states. “I’ve never been through anything like this.” 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 shares. “Waking up felt unbearable.” Yet, with spiritual practices, as well as access to a detention center gym, he is starting to feel himself again despite the 6ft 11in athlete shares a cramped cell with multiple inmates. “I just turned 35 but my energy remains high,” says the ex-college player, with experience in multiple countries. “I would love to continue my basketball career.”

Treatment Needs Versus Drug Laws

Shaw, a center or power forward, explains cannabis helps ease his anxiety and depression, in addition to sleeplessness and the discomfort of his condition. “I don’t use it to have fun and go party,” he emphasizes. “Due to my digestive issues, 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 carried out executions in 2016, via shooting, of an Indonesian and three foreigners convicted of drug-related crimes. More than 500 people – including almost 100 foreigners – face execution in the country, primarily due to drug-related crimes.

Law enforcement stated that the athlete messaged his fellow players indicating he planned to distribute some of the cannabis candies with them. “Their definition of narcotics, I view as treatment,” says Shaw. “It’s just different cultures.”

Fundraising and Future Hopes

Following his detention, police officials informed the media that the American might receive life in prison or even the death penalty upon conviction. “We are still running uncover and halt global drug networks behind this case preventing further spread,” a representative said.

Shaw was swiftly paraded at a press conference, appearing with his hands cuffed wearing an orange prison-issue T-shirt and face covering. He faced away from spectators as officials exhibited the cannabis gummies, totaling 869 grams and valued at four hundred dollars.

He argued that to charge him with possession of almost a kilo of cannabis is unfair and “sick,” since most of the weight comes from the gummies themselves rather than the active ingredient. “I’m accused of a large quantity,” he notes. “I didn’t have anything near that.”

The player is seeking donations for mounting court costs. His trial has not begun despite being arrested five months ago, and he is still waiting his initial court date. “They’re making it seem as if I’m a major trafficker,” he asserts. “Why would I bring the candy here to sell? They were for my own needs.”

Broader Context and Support

An advocacy director from a group supporting individuals imprisoned for cannabis-related offences said: “This situation is not unique. Globally, people are serving harsh penalties for non-violent cannabis offenses which are not dangerous to society.” Even in the US, she added, many people remain incarcerated for cannabis offences despite recreational legalization in almost half of states and medical approval in most regions. “These punishments run counter to global human rights norms,” she emphasized.

Possible benefits of cannabis on Crohn’s disease lacks extensive research but recent studies have indicated that cannabis can ease persistent pain without serious side effects. This comes as, leaders have discussed the benefits of cannabis treatments.

There are parallels with this case and that of Brittney Griner, the decorated American basketball player detained in another country for 10 months in 2022 when officials discovered cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage. Griner was eventually released as part of a prisoner swap involving a Russian weapons trafficker.

“He is known as an exceptionally kind and caring individual one might encounter,” a close associate said in a supportive statement. “He erred. But I don’t believe that this should ruin his life prospects.”

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

An advocacy assistant handling Shaw’s case said: “Cannabis can’t kill you, but possessing it can. It’s crucial to draw significant focus on this case in the hope that a favorable outcome will set a powerful precedent. I am committed to ensuring he returns to his mother.”

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