Op-Ed: What Now For Brittney Griner?

By: Melo Williams

Again first and foremost Brittney Griner deserves 100% blame for her choices and the consequences behind those choices regardless of the amount and it only being marijuana. Russia like 98% of other countries has zero tolerance for drugs, weed included.

With that being said we can’t expect President Joe Biden to really care about Brittney Griner release and bringing her home in a timely fashion then or now when he first made a name for himself in 1986 with his first drug crime and sentencing legislation.

Will Brittney eventually be used as an exchange of prisoners, yes I believe so. I also believe President Biden feels like letting Brittney sit and suffer some. If the President of the United States of America really wanted Brittney Griner home, she would’ve been. For those that don’t remember, former President Trump negotiated the release of three UCLA basketball players who had been arrested for stealing designer sunglasses in China. Yes, shoplifting is a minor criminal issue in America, but in China stealing is a big no no. China and Russia are alike when it comes to stealing and drugs, don’t get caught, or else it’s hard long time for the crime. Most people don’t realize that how America views things is usually drastically different than how most of the other countries around the world view things. Crimes that would be a slap on the wrist in America, which most other countries take very seriously.

Eventually, I believe President Biden will fold to the public pressure and the political game and order his staff to get the negotiations done. I just don’t feel it’s a priority of his basing it off of his track record since 1986. It’s hard for me to believe that President Biden feelings and thoughts about drugs, drug crime, and sentencing guidelines have changed even though he said they have while campaigning during the 2020 Presidential race. Then when you throw in Vice President Kamala Harris history and track record with marijuana legislation and convictions when she was the head District Attorney in San Francisco, I believe both the President and Vice President is in agreement with the handling of Brittney Griner.

In closing, I hope I’m totally wrong about my thoughts on President Biden and his handling of the Brittney Griner situation. Only time will tell though. It’s a political game. It’s unfortunate Brittney Griner made a horrible choice at the wrong time