Sha’Carri Richardson’s Olympic ban over cannabis use sparks global outrage

A 30-day suspension imposed on Track and Field star Sha’Carri Richardson, after THC was found in her system, has sparked global outrage.

American sprinting champion Sha’Carri Richardson tested positive for cannabis last week, after winning the 100 metre race at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon on 19 June.

A 30-day ban was subsequently imposed following the failed drug test which showed levels of THC.

THC is the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that causes the ‘high’ sensation.

The 21-year-old was regarded as one of the favourites for a gold medal at this year’s Tokyo Olympics, having run the sixth fastest time in history this year.

But Richardson’s Olympic dreams appear to be crushed – at least for now – as the ban will run until 27 July, preventing her from running her signature event and competing for the title of world’s fastest female.

Richardson has now revealed she had lost her biological mother, disclosing that she took the drug to cope with her ordeal of “emotional panic.”

In an interview with NBC, Richardson, said: “I want to take responsibility for my actions, I know what I did and what I’m not supposed to do.”

Under the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code, THC is considered a “Substance of Abuse,” and the athlete’s ban was announced by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Friday.

The news has caused widespread of outrage among fellow athletes, celebrities, politicians, and cannabis experts.

Speaking to the Independent, Erik Altieri, executive director of the US advocacy group NORML, said: “In 2021, at a time when marijuana use is legally accepted in a growing number of US states and around the world, it makes exactly zero sense for regulators to continue to take punitive actions against athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson or anyone else who chooses to consume cannabis in their off-hours.”

Richardson added: “We all have our different struggles, we all have different things that we deal with, but to put on a face and have to go out in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain.”

She continued: “Who are you? Who am I to tell you how to cope when you’re dealing with your pain or you’re dealing with a struggle that you’ve never experienced before or that you never thought you’d have to deal with, who am I to tell you how to cope? Who am I to tell you you’re wrong for hurting?”

The athlete emphasised that she has never used performance enhancing drugs and expressed confidence she will bounce back for future Olympics accepting her faults.

Congresswomen Alexandri Ocasio-Cortez spoke against the international committee’s anti-doping policy on Twitter.

“The criminalisation and banning of cannabis is an instrument of racist and colonial policy,” she wrote.

“The IOC should reconsider its suspension of Ms Richardson and any athletes penalised for cannabis use.”

While cannabis use remains banned at the federal level, more and more states are legalising the drug for recreational as well medical use.

Further calls for her suspension to be lifted have emerged following her explanation, as cannabis is prescribed for medical conditions, including anxiety, in US states.

Harvard Medical School professor and cannabis expert Dr Peter Grinspoon questioned the rationale behind the US Anti-Doping Agency, telling the Boston Globe: “You won’t find any studies proving cannabis as a physical performance-enhancer.”

He added: “Millions of people across the world use cannabis as a less harmful, plant-based alternative to opiates, benzodiazepines, sedating muscle relaxants, Ambien — the list goes on and on.”

Even Seth Rogen, who recently launched his own cannabis company in the States, weighed in to express his support for Richardson, writing on Twitter: “If weed made you fast, I’d be FloJo [American track and field athlete Florence Griffith Joyner].”

In a statement announcing the ban, USADA CEO Travis T Tygart commented: “The rules are clear, but this is heartbreaking on many levels; hopefully, her acceptance of responsibility and apology will be an important example to us all that we can successfully overcome our regrettable decisions, despite the costly consequences of this one to her.”