American basketball player Jarred Shaw is facing the death penalty in Indonesia after being caught with cannabis gummies worth just $400. The 35-year-old athlete, who played for Prawira Bandung, says the gummies were for treating his Crohn’s disease — not for recreation. “I’ve never been through anything like this,” he told The Guardian.
Shaw explained that cannabis eases his chronic stomach pain. “What they call drugs, I call medicine,” he said. “It helps me eat and sleep without pain.” However, Indonesia has some of the strictest drug laws in the world, and even small amounts can lead to life imprisonment or execution.
He’s now spent five months in detention, sharing a crowded cell with a dozen inmates. His basketball contract was terminated after the arrest, leaving his future uncertain. “I made a stupid mistake,” he admitted. “But I don’t deserve to die for this.”
Human rights groups are calling his punishment excessive. “Around the world, people face extreme sentences for harmless cannabis use,” said an advocate. Shaw’s story is a stark reminder that in some countries, even medicine can cost you your life.
