Cannabis, which is illegal in Russia, is seen in other countries as having legitimate medical uses.
When she was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for having cannabis oil in her luggage, she acknowledged that she had no criminal intent and that she accidentally put the canisters in her luggage.
We don't argue that she took it as a medicine. The defense attorney said that she brought it here because she was in a hurry.
The Russian court needs to know that it wasn't used for recreational purposes in the US. He said it was a doctor's prescription.
If convicted, the two-time Olympic gold medal winner would face up to 10 years in prison. The testimony from the doctors and the admission that she had canisters is intended to bring her a mild sentence.
Maria Blagovolina is one of the lawyers for Griner. We hope that the court takes it into account. The courts in Russia have a lot of discretion when it comes to sentences.
Only five sessions have been held since the trial began on July 1st.
The charge d'affaires of the U.S. embassy attended the court session. She told reporters that she confirmed that she is doing okay and can be expected.
High U.S.-Moscow tensions led to the arrest of Griner. She is being held in Russia as a bargaining chip in a prisoner swap. Megan Rapinoe said she was being held as a political prisoner.
Russian laws should be respected, the Russian Foreign Ministry said last week.
"If a U.S. citizen was taken in connection with the fact that she was drugs smuggler, and she does not deny this, then this should be in line with our Russian local laws, and not with those adopted in San Francisco, New York and Washington," Maria Zakhar
"If drugs are legalized in the United States, in a number of states, and now the whole country will become drug-addicted, this doesn't mean that all other countries are following the same path."
Russian media have speculated that a Russian arms trader named Viktor Bout, who is imprisoned in the United States, and an American who is imprisoned in Russia, may be involved in a swap.
The prospects for such a trade have not been commented on. The Russian officials said no exchange could take place until the legal proceedings were over. It's not clear how long the trial will last, but a court has given the green light to keep him in jail until December 20.
A doctor's letter saying he had authorized her to use cannabis for pain treatment was included in a previous trial session, along with character witness testimony from the director and captain of the Russian team that she played for in the off-season.
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