NYC Student Held in Russia Over Less Than Ounce of Pot

A New York City teenager's vacation in Russia is lasting longer than expected for all the wrong reasons. Audrey Lorber, a 19-year-old student at Pace University, was arrested when authorities found 19 grams of marijuana—about two-thirds of an ounce—on her at an airport in St. Petersburg, report NBC News and the New York Post. Lorber had documents to prove she had the pot for medicinal reasons, but Russia says her US prescription isn't valid there. Her congressman, Democrat Max Rose, says he's working to get her released because "no American citizen should be held in jail for a medical condition."

Lorber had been vacationing with her mother in Russia when she was arrested and jailed. It's not clear when that happened, but it's been at least two weeks. It was that long ago that Lorber's restaurant boss spoke to Lorber's mother, who has remained in Russia trying to secure her daughter's release. The penalty for the drug offense is wide-ranging, anything from a fine of about $600 to 3 years in prison, per SILive. Lorber, who is a film student at Pace, has reportedly pleaded guilty. (More medical marijuana stories.)