WADA owes Sha'Carri Richardson the same break it's been giving Russian athletes

[Jilly_in_VA]

Let’s talk about Sha’Carri Richardson, WADA, and weed.

Last week, American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was excluded from the Tokyo Games based on a positive marijuana test, in violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) rule against banned substances. Yesterday, we learned she was deprived of a chance to run in Tokyo by her own country, who had the chance to salvage the Olympics for her, but chose not to.

Full disclosure, I use weed sometimes (my kids tell me this is the “old people” name for marijuana, so if someone wants to tell me the hip, cool name, I’d be grateful). Believe it or not, I had never tried it before it was legalized in Illinois in 2019. I’m a Gen Xer raised smack dab in the middle of Nancy Regan’s “Just Say No,” campaign, socialized to be terrified of anything classified as a “drug,” which was reinforced by the passing of Maryland hoops star Len Bias in 1986. When I went to college, I stuck with alcohol, arguably one of the most dangerous drugs out there. After all, Nancy never told me not to drink.

But after decades of struggling with depression and anxiety, combined with the rise of Twitter, on which one merely survives in a day-to-day battle with toxicity, I gave edibles a try. Immediately, I understood exactly why people were so passionate about legalization. All that adrenaline and cortisol running through my body seemed to dissipate. My mind slowed down and stopped spinning. I was able to sleep. I felt … normal.

All this is to say that yes, WADA is decades behind the times when it comes to how it views marijuana, not to mention the racist tropes that demonized a perfectly helpful herb in the first place. If a white, suburban Gen Xer like me who drives a Kia gets a significant mental health benefit from weed, you can bet a whole lot of others are doing the same. After all, marijuana is now legal in 18 states.

https://deadspin.com/wada-owes-sha-carri-richardson-the-same-break-it-s-been-1847246693
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Oh, so you're sick of talking about Sha'Carri? Rules are rules, you say? Read the rest of the article. The writer makes perfect sense.

[cilla4progress]

1. Yes

appreciate this!

[Phoenix61]

2. I carry a professional license that does not allow me to

consume THC. It doesn’t matter that I could get a medical use card. That would put my license at risk so… I don’t use. It’s a choice. Sha’Carrie acknowledges it was a choice she made knowing what the consequences could be. That the US is not allowing her to run in the relay is appalling and seems downright petty.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

3. USADA responds to letter from AOC regarding Sha'Carri Richardson suspension, says it can't

unilaterally change the rules

The United States Anti-Doping Agency has addressed sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson's controversial suspension for a positive marijuana test in a new letter to lawmakers, saying it wants to mitigate such "harsh consequences" but can't change the rules unilaterally.

Leaders from the USADA in a letter Friday to Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) responded to their objections over Richardson's one-month suspension after the sprinter tested positive for marijuana, Axios reported. The USADA leaders called it "heartbreaking" that she'll now miss the Olympics and said that the World Anti-Doping Agency's "rules concerning marijuana must change."

However, the letter notes that the USADA "does not make or have a direct vote on the anti-doping rules" and is "required to enforce them," while adding that "most governments in the world have been very reluctant to take marijuana off the prohibited list for public health reasons." But the USADA says the "rules addressing cannabis and cannabinoids should be more flexible and fair," and that it would like to "go still further in mitigating the harsh consequences of a positive marijuana case in a situation like Ms. Richardson's."

Richardson was suspended for 30 days over the positive marijuana test, keeping her from the 100 meter race at the Olympics. It was later confirmed she would miss the Olympics entirely after she wasn't selected for the United States' Olympic 4x100 relay team. Richardson in an interview with Today said she takes "responsibility for my actions," while explaining that she used marijuana to help cope with the loss of her mother. After Richardson accepted the 30-day suspension, the USADA said "there is no longer any legal process to challenge it or to reverse it."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/usada-responds-to-letter-from-aoc-regarding-shacarri-richardson-suspension-says-it-cant-unilaterally-change-the-rules/ar-AALYGzP