Marc Fogelis finally back in America after almost 4 years.
The American educator, who spent years teaching the children of diplomats in Russia, found himself at the center of a geopolitical tug-of-war between Washington and Moscow. After over three years in Russian custody ondrug smuggling charges, Fogel was released on Tuesday following extensive lobbying by the US government.
What happened?
Fogel had traveled to and from Russia for nearly a decade without issue, teaching history at the Anglo-American School in Moscow.
However, in August 2021, as he returned for what was supposed to be his final year at the school, he was arrested by the Russian authorities.
Why? Fogel entered Russia through customs at Sheremetyevo Airport when around half an ounce ofmedical marijuanawas found in his luggage. The substance had been prescribed to him in the United States to treat chronic pain under a doctor’s prescription.
As Russia does not recognizemarijuanafor medical use as well, despite his medical justification, in June 2022, Fogel was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in a high-security prison. In October 2022, he was transferred from a detention center in Moscow to a penal colony, where he would serve the remainder of his sentence.
In August 2022, a bipartisan group of United States senators lobbied for the State Department to designate Fogel as wrongfully detained.
On February 11, 2025, Marc Fogel was released by Russian authorities following diplomatic negotiations, after serving 3+1⁄2 years in a Rybinsk prison.
Upon Fogel’s arrival in the United States, he was welcomed into the White House by President Donald Trump, who later announced that another prisoner release would be taking place the next day.
What is medical marijuana?
Medical cannabis, medicinal cannabis, or medical marijuana refers to cannabis products and cannabinoid molecules that are prescribed by physicians for their patients.
The use of cannabis as medicine has a long history but has not been as rigorously tested as other medicinal plants due to legal and governmental restrictions, resulting in limited clinical research to define the safety and efficacy of using cannabis to treat diseases.
The history of marijuana usage for medical purposes:
Many cultures have used cannabis for therapeutic purposes for thousands of years. Some American medical organizations have requested the removal of cannabis from the list of Schedule I controlled substances, emphasizing that rescheduling would enable more extensive research and regulatory oversight to ensure safe access. Others oppose its legalization, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Usage of marijuana for medical purposes:
Countries that allow the medical use of whole-plant cannabis include Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay. In the United States, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical purposes, beginning with the passage of California’s Proposition 215 in 1996.
Although cannabis remains prohibited for any use at the federal level, the Rohrabacher–Farr amendment was enacted in December 2014, limiting the ability of federal law to be enforced in states where medical cannabis has been legalized. This amendment reflects an increasing bipartisan acknowledgment of the potential therapeutic uses of cannabis and the significance of state-level policymaking in this area.
In the U.S., the National Institute on Drug Abuse defines medical cannabis as “using the whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions”.
A cannabis plant includes more than 400 different chemicals, of which about 70 are cannabinoids. In comparison, typical government-approved medications contain only one or two chemicals. The number of active chemicals in cannabis is one reason why treatment with cannabis is difficult to classify and study.
A 2014 review stated that the variations in the ratio of CBD-to-THC in botanical and pharmaceutical preparations determine the therapeutic vs psychoactive effects (CBD attenuates THC’s psychoactive effects) of cannabis products.
The impact of using medical marijuana:
Preliminary evidence has indicated that cannabis might reduce nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy and reduce chronic pain and muscle spasms. Regarding non-inhaled cannabis or cannabinoids, a 2021 review found that it provided little relief against chronic pain and sleep disturbance, and caused several transient adverse effects, such as cognitive impairment, nausea, and drowsiness.
Short-term use increases the risk of minor and major adverse effects. Common side effects include dizziness, feeling tired, vomiting, and hallucinations. The long-term effects of cannabis are not clear. Concerns include memory and cognition problems, the risk of addiction, schizophrenia in young people, and the risk of children taking it by accident.
Marc Fogel, an American educator, was released after serving over three years in Russian custody on drug smuggling charges. Fogel was arrested in Augu Read More
