- Brittney Griner pled guilty to drug smuggling charges in Russian court last week.
- Her lawyers argued that the marijuana products found in her luggage was prescribed to her by an Arizona doctor, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- Griner used the products to help with pain, one of her lawyers said.
The hashish oil and vape cartridges found in Brittney Griner's luggage by Russian officials that led to her arrest were prescribed to her by an Arizona doctor to help with pain, her lawyers told reporters, including the Wall Street Journal.
Maria Blagovolina, one of Griner's lawyers, said that the Olympic gold medalist left the substance among her belongings while crossing the border "due to an oversight."
Griner used the prescription from her doctor as evidence during her trial, according to the Journal.
Medical marijuana is legal in Arizona, but any amount of marijuana — for any purpose — is viewed as a serious crime in Russia.
Griner pled guilty to drug-smuggling charges in Russian court last week.
"She decided to take full responsibility for her actions as she knows that she is a role model for many people," her lawyers said in a statement to Insider. "Considering the nature of her case, the insignificant amount of the substance, and BG's personality and history of positive contributions to global and Russian sport, the defense hopes that the plea will be considered by the court as a mitigating factor, and there will be no severe sentence."
