Trump Administration Secures Release Of American Medical Marijuana Patient Who Was Serving 14-Year Sentence In Russia

An American who’s been incarcerated in Russia for years over possession of marijuana he lawfully obtained as a Pennsylvania medical cannabis patient has been freed following a diplomatic agreement facilitated by the Trump administration.

About two months after the State Department under former President Joe Biden finally designated Marc Fogel as a “wrongfully detained” individual—who was serving a 14-year sentence after being convicted of “drug smuggling” over possession of a half-ounce of cannabis—he’s now been released and is expected to arrive home Tuesday evening.

“Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia,” White House National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in a statement.

“President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the president’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine,” he said.

BREAKING NEWS

Statement from National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz…

“Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia…” pic.twitter.com/m4icseiNNc

— Dan Scavino (@Scavino47) February 11, 2025

The terms of the prisoner swap aren’t immediately clear. But Fogel’s release is the culmination of years of advocacy from family and bipartisan lawmakers.

The cannabis that Fogel was found in possession of at a Russian airport was obtained lawfully in Pennsylvania, where he was a registered medical cannabis patient who used it as an opioid alternative to treat pain.

Ahead of his designation as wrongfully detained, there were repeated calls for the diplomatic status change, including a letter sent to the Biden administration by over a dozen members of Congress in August that emphasized that Fogel’s access to marijuana was “necessary to subdue his pain.”

Following an historic, multinational prisoner swap last summer, where several Americans were released, the bicameral legislators sent a letter to then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing their “gravest of concerns” about the continued imprisonment of Fogel.

The lawmakers also noted that Fogel’s situation is comparable to that of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who also served time in a Russian prison over possession of cannabis oil that she also lawfully obtained as a medical marijuana patient in Arizona before being released as part of an earlier prisoner swap that the Biden administration negotiated.

Here’s how bipartisan lawmakers are reacting to Fogel’s release:

Our prayers have been answered.

Thanks to President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, Marc Fogel has been freed from Russia!

Marc spent 1,255 days locked away in a Russian penal colony under the Biden Administration.

President Trump freed Marc in just 22 days. pic.twitter.com/JJQZ1K6X9Y

— Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) February 11, 2025

This is a major victory for President Trump, the United States and most importantly, Marc Fogel and his family. No American should have to endure this injustice, and I am relieved Marc is on his way home to the country he loves. https://t.co/wjOsncoVki

— Steve Daines (@SteveDaines) February 11, 2025

Marc Fogel’s return home is long overdue—and I know all of Pennsylvania, especially his family, will be welcoming him back with open arms.

I want to thank @POTUS and @SteveWitkoff for their efforts in finally bringing Marc home. https://t.co/HPwJPKWP5M

— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) February 11, 2025

I am thrilled that Marc Fogel is finally coming home after years of being wrongfully held in Russia. I have been working with the Administration on this since day one and I’m grateful to President Trump and Secretary Rubio for delivering on their commitment to free Marc. As I… pic.twitter.com/MpQZzIfFpl

— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) February 11, 2025

Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill last year with an attached report demanding that the Biden administration explain why it has not escalated diplomatic efforts to secure the release Fogel.

While the section didn’t describe the specific details of Fogel’s case, the committee passage followed the Senate approving a resolution calling for his release, emphasizing that he was a lawful medical cannabis patient in Pennsylvania using state-legal products as an opioid alternative.

The resolution said the 14-year sentence that Fogel received after being convicted of “large-scale drugs smuggling” over possession of a half-ounce of cannabis is politically motivated and disproportionate, especially when taking into account the fact that he was using marijuana for medical purposes in accordance with a doctor’s recommendation.

The resolution was introduced in 2023 shortly after family of Fogel visited the White House to meet with high-level officials and also raise attention to his case with members of Congress.

Meanwhile, a separate coalition of more than 20 U.S. senators filed a different resolution last year condemning the arrests of American citizens in Russia, including Fogel.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul also sent a letter to the secretary of state in 2023, imploring the administration to “immediately” escalate diplomatic efforts to secure Fogel’s return.

In 2022, more than two dozen members of Congress called on the State Department to step up diplomatic efforts to secure the release of Fogel, calling his incarceration over marijuana that he used to treat chronic pain “unconscionable.”

The White House under Biden said that year it was actively investigating Fogel’s case, and lawmakers have been keeping the pressure on to ensure it’s doing all that it can to secure his release.

Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) also led a letter with other senators that similarly asked the State Department to classify the citizen, an American teacher, as “wrongfully detained.” That came shortly after other bipartisan members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation again pleaded with the State Department to escalate Fogel’s case, drawing parallels between his and Griner’s cannabis-related convictions.

Russia, for its part, has taken a particularly strong stance against reforming cannabis policy at the international level through the United Nations. And it condemned Canada for legalizing marijuana nationwide.

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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.

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