A narcology expert summoned by the defense argued that medical cannabis was widely used to treat athletes where it was legal, and often had fewer side effects than other painkillers.
Griner, a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star who has played in Russia during the league's offseason, was detained at a Moscow airport on Feb. 17 with vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. Medical marijuana is illegal in Russia.
She faces a possible jail sentence of up to 10 years in a case that has highlighted the fraught relations between Russia and the United States at a time of heightened tension over Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine.
The two-time Olympic champion, who has appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden to secure her release, has pled guilty but denied she intended to break Russian law.
Griner -- known as "BG" to basketball fans -- will appear in court again on Wednesday, where she could be called upon to testify. A further hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 2, Griner's defence team said.
U.S. officials and prominent athletes argue the 31-year-old has been wrongly detained and have called for her to be released immediately. The Russian authorities dismiss the U.S. criticism, with the Kremlin saying the case has nothing to do with politics.
