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“Shouldn’t We Be Freeing People in America?”: Billionaire Elon Musk Questions Joe Biden Over Brittney Griner Fiasco

Published 08/06/2022, 10:31 AM EDT

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WNBA star Brittney Griner has been sentenced to nine years in prison by the Russian courts for drug possession charges. Following her sentencing, President Joe Biden issued a strong statement condemning the decision and assured that US officials are working tirelessly to bring Griner home. However, Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has highlighted a unique perspective on the whole Brittney Griner fiasco.

Musk pointed out the apparent double standard in President Biden trying to free the Phoenix Mercury star from Russia while so many American nationals are locked up in federal prisons for the same crime. Incidentally, Griner had been detained by Russian authorities in February for possession of cannabis oil and some vape cartridges.

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Meanwhile, the United States has federal restrictions on cannabis as well. In fact, while some states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, many states still prosecute people for weed consumption.

Elon Musk questions President Biden’s position

Elon Musk posed a very intriguing question for President Joe Biden during his appearance on the ‘Full Send Podcast. If the President is working so hard to sort of free someone who’s in jail in Russia for some weed, then shouldn’t we free people in America?” asked Musk. “There are people in jail in America for the same stuff, shouldn’t we free them too?”

My opinion is that people should not be in jail for non-violent drug crimes,” he added.

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Incidentally, Vice-President Kamala Harris has received a lot of flak in the past for adopting a more progressive approach to cannabis. In fact, people have been quick to point out Harris’ record of fiercely pursuing marijuana-related cases as a prosecutor.

On the other hand, Elon Musk has also garnered attention for his marijuana consumption in the past. The billionaire produced one of the most viral moments on the Internet after smoking weed on the Joe Rogan podcast.

The future for Brittney Griner

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Brittney Griner could return to America soon despite her sentencing. Washington has been trying to broker a deal with Moscow for some time now.

As it turns out, a potential prisoner swap is on the cards. US media reports have touted the name of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout as a crucial component of such a deal.

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Watch this Story: Stephen Curry and Wife Ayesha Spend A Whopping 7 Figure Amount To Buy A 4 Bedroom House In Florida

However, Kremlin hasn’t confirmed anything concrete yet.

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Written by:

Satagni Sikder

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Satagni Sikder is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He has a Master's degree in English from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and has been following the NBA since 2017. Moreover, he supports the Dallas Mavericks, and unsurprisingly, Luka Doncic is his favorite player.
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Edited by:

Pritam Priyedarshi