KHIMKI, Russia (AP) — Russian prosecutors have asked a court outside Moscow to sentence American basketball star Brittney Griner to 9 1/2 years in prison on cannabis possession charges. Closing arguments in Griner’s trial are taking place Thursday, nearly six months after her arrest at a Moscow airport and subsequent detention. Although a conviction appears almost certain and Griner has acknowledged having vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage, judges have considerable latitude on sentencing. A defense lawyer argued that Griner brought the cartridges with her to Russia inadvertently and only used cannabis while in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal. A prosecutor argued that Griner packed the cannabis oil deliberately.
Photo: (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)