Ailing American Basketball Player In Indonesian Prison Over Cannabis Gummies Pleads For Compassionate Release

Jarred Shaw is urging the Indonesian government to get him to the hospital as his health deteriorates.

Former college basketball player Jarred Shaw is praying for a “miracle” as his health deteriorates while serving a 26-month sentence in Indonesia on a cannabis-related charge.

Shaw, a former standout at Oklahoma State and Utah State, remains imprisoned in Indonesia after his May 2025 arrest for allegedly ordering a package containing 132 cannabis gummies to his apartment, Fox News reports.

Shaw, 35, has said he used the product to manage symptoms of Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition that affects the digestive tract.

As his health reportedly worsens behind bars, Shaw’s legal team is now petitioning Indonesia’s minister of health for compassionate release, citing his cooperation during court proceedings and his previously clean criminal record.

Cannabis is known to help ease some of the severe symptoms associated with the disease, and Shaw had previously obtained it legally for that purpose. However, Indonesia maintains some of the world’s strictest drug laws, with roughly 276,000 people imprisoned for drug-related offenses. Under Indonesian law, cannabis is classified alongside heroin and methamphetamine, regardless of its legal status in the United States and many European countries.

“I wish I could go back and change my actions, but it was definitely a relief to know I wasn’t getting the death penalty,” he said last month.

Shaw he is being held in a room “no bigger than a typical New York City studio apartment” with 11 other inmates. He said he has lost 40 pounds from his 245-pound playing weight, noting that people with Crohn’s disease face a higher risk of colorectal cancer.

“I can wake up any moment and be hospitalized,” Shaw said. “Some days are better than others. It’s not where it needs to be. I still feel sick quite often. I am asking for sympathy, and hopefully a miracle can happen.”

In November 2025, a doctor evaluated Shaw and found he was suffering from abdominal pain, mild anemia, and an E. coli infection that caused diarrhea, bleeding, and fever. Shaw said he has struggled to get proper nutrition in prison and that the fried food he’s served aggravates his Crohn’s disease.

Four months after the diagnosis, Shaw says he still has not received the colonoscopy, intestinal ultrasound, or other tests the doctor recommended, procedures that would require at least a three-day hospital stay. Shaw said that while he understands he broke the law and was unaware of Indonesia’s strict drug policies, he believes the most urgent issue is that he has yet to receive hospital treatment for his worsening condition.

“We’re trying to get them to understand,” he said. “Even though there’s no cure for [Crohn’s], you have to treat it, or it could get worse. Hopefully, someone with higher power can at least help me get to the hospital.”

The State Department spoke with a source close to Shaw and said it’s looking into the player’s case.

“The Trump Administration has no higher priority than Americans’ safety and security,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We take seriously our commitment to assist Americans abroad, and the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta is providing consular assistance to Jarred Shaw.”