Gigi Hadid’s representative informed E! News that the marijuana was acquired with a medical license in New York.
According to reports from local media covered by Rolling Stone, supermodel Gigi Hadid was arrested on July 10th for marijuana possession and paraphernalia in the Cayman Islands.
Reportedly, Hadid flew on a private plane to the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean frequented by wealthy individuals due to its particularly flexible tax laws, along with a friend. Their luggage was inspected at the airport, where, according to Cayman Marl Road, “ganja and utensils used for ganja consumption” were discovered. The duo was arrested, taken to the Detention Center, and released on bail. Two days later, they pleaded guilty to the charges and were fined $1,000 in court, “without a conviction record,” according to the outlet.
Hadid’s representative told E! News that the marijuana was acquired with a medical license in New York, and that medical marijuana is also legal in the Cayman Islands.
As restrictions on marijuana have loosened in the United States, celebrities and other prominent individuals have been penalized for carrying the drug on their international travels, with varying degrees of severity. In one of the most serious cases, WNBA player Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia and charged with bringing two vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into the country last year. She remained in prison from February 2022 until December, due to political tensions between Russia and the United States over Ukraine. Griner’s release was eventually achieved through a prisoner exchange between the two countries. She returned to the WNBA last weekend in her first All-Star game with the Phoenix Mercury team since her release (Griner returned to the WNBA in May 2023).
The disparate experiences of Griner and Hadid demonstrate the diversity of marijuana policies worldwide. However, it is also important to note that, in addition to the disparity in penalties, Griner is a Black woman with a more masculine appearance in an industry that is so underpaid that she had no choice but to play in another country, while Hadid is a White Arab female model with worldwide recognition. (Of course, the political differences between Russia and the Cayman Islands are too complex to analyze in this brief story).
