‘I use cannabis as medicine’: the US basketball player facing execution in Indonesia over $400 of gummies

OG Article By Mattha Busby

October 03 2025

Incident

• Jarred Shaw, 35, arrested in Indonesia for importing cannabis gummies.

• Undercover police apprehended him in his apartment lobby.

• Social media video shows Shaw shouting for help during arrest.

Background

• Dallas native, played for Prawira Bandung, 2023 Indonesian Basketball League champions.

• Scored over 1,000 points in three seasons.

• Now banned for life from the league.

Charges

• Faces life imprisonment or death penalty.

• Accused of possessing 869 grams of cannabis gummies, worth $400.

• Shaw: Weight inflated by gummies, not cannabis content.

Personal Struggle

• Uses cannabis to manage Crohn’s disease, anxiety, depression, insomnia.

• “It’s medicine, not for fun,” Shaw told The Guardian.

• Imported gummies due to Indonesia’s strict laws, unlike Thailand’s leniency.

Mental Toll

• Spent first two months in “dark mental place,” feeling helpless.

• Faith and prison gym access aid recovery.

• Shares cramped cell with a dozen men.

Indonesia’s Stance

• Hardline drug policy; executions by firing squad in 2016.

• Over 500 on death row, mostly for drug crimes.

• Police claim Shaw texted teammates to share gummies.

Investigation

• Police chief Ronald Sipayung: Shaw linked to international drug network.

• Shaw paraded at press conference in cuffs, orange T-shirt.

• No court date set five months after May arrest.

Advocacy

• Last Prisoner Project: Shaw’s case reflects global over-punishment for cannabis.

• Stephanie Shepard: Punishments violate human rights.

• Donte West: Seeks attention to secure Shaw’s release.

Context

• Cannabis eased chronic pain in Nature Medicine study.

• Parallels with Brittney Griner’s 2022 Russia arrest for cannabis vape cartridges.

• Friend Bree Petruzio: Shaw’s mistake shouldn’t cost his future.

Fundraising

• Shaw raises funds for legal fees.

• “They’re painting me as a drug dealer,” he says. “It was for personal use.”

Official Response

• US embassy aware but declines comment.

• Indonesian police did not respond to inquiries.