Russian Cancer Patient Can Stay In Netherlands For Cannabis Treatment Despite Asylum Rejection, EU Court Rules

A Russian man undergoing much-needed medical cannabis treatment for a rare type of blood cancer can stay in the Netherlands, ruled the European Union’s top court on Tuesday.

The EU Court of Justice decided the man should not be sent back to Russia, following the rejection of his asylum appeal after a local Dutch court sought guidance on the issue, reported Politico.

The case could set a precedent for other jurisdictions, said Vincenzo Salvatore, current counsel and leader of the health care and life sciences focus team at law firm BonelliErede.

The court ruling said that if the Russian national were returned to his home country, he would be exposed to such pain “that it would be contrary to human dignity.” 

The news comes on the heels of a Russian court finding WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner guilty of drug charges and sentencing her to nine and a half years in prison. Griner is going into her tenth month in a Russian prison for possessing less than a gram of cannabis oil in her suitcase when entering a Moscow airport to finish up her seventh season with Russia’s UMMC Yekaterinburg team.

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