{"id":48632,"date":"2021-07-02T10:47:28","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T18:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/07\/02\/white-house-declines-to-defend-runner-suspended-from-olympics-over-marijuana-test-while-lawmakers-step-up\/"},"modified":"2021-07-02T13:45:20","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T21:45:20","slug":"white-house-declines-to-defend-runner-suspended-from-olympics-over-marijuana-test-while-lawmakers-step-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/07\/02\/white-house-declines-to-defend-runner-suspended-from-olympics-over-marijuana-test-while-lawmakers-step-up\/","title":{"rendered":"White House Declines To Defend Runner Suspended From Olympics Over Marijuana Test, While Lawmakers Step Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The White House on Friday declined to condemn a U.S. Olympics panel for suspending a famed sprinter over a positive test for marijuana, adding another level of frustration for advocates who have sharply criticized the administration for firing its own staffers over cannabis use.<\/p>\n

Sha\u2019Carri Richardson, known as the fastest woman in America, was set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics this month before testing positive for THC in violation of United States Anti-Doping Agency policy. The runner admitted to consuming cannabis in Oregon, where marijuana is legal for adult use, after learning about the death of her biological mother during a press interview.<\/p>\n

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Sha\u2019Carri Richardson (@itskerrii<\/a>) joins us live for an exclusive interview to discuss the positive marijuana test that\u2019s put her Olympic future in limbo. pic.twitter.com\/iVBp3zhvja<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 TODAY (@TODAYshow) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Asked whether President Joe Biden supports the one-month suspension<\/a> or would like to see a reversal to allow the athlete to participate, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said \u201cthis was an independent decision made by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and not a decision that would be made by the U.S. government.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Psaki did go on to note that Richardson \u201cis an inspiring young woman who has gone through a lot personally\u2014and she also happens to be one of the fastest women in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that woman will miss a key Olympics event given the one-month suspension; however, the punishment is set to end by the time she would potentially participate in another race if she remains on the U.S. team following the cannabis controversy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an important part of the story as well,\u201d Psaki said, \u201cso this is an independent decision by the the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, but I also felt it was important to note, who she is and her history.\u201d<\/p>\n

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I am human<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sha\u2019Carri Richardson (@itskerrii) July 1, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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But while the press secretary seemed to empathize with the runner and acknowledge her talent, she didn\u2019t directly address the question about where President Joe Biden stands and gave a notable deferential response that pitted full responsibility on the country\u2019s athletic governing body.<\/p>\n

For advocates, the administration\u2019s declining to take a stand in defense of the sprinter is another disappointment and signals again that it is unwilling to stand up for reform, even in unique circumstances like Richardson\u2019s case.<\/p>\n

And at the same time that it\u2019s choosing not to explicitly criticize the sports-related sanction, the administration has come under fire this year for terminating or otherwise punishing staffers who were honest about their past cannabis use as part of the background check process.<\/p>\n

Psaki subsequently said that nobody in the White House was\u00a0fired for \u201cmarijuana usage from years ago,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0nor has anyone been terminated \u201cdue to casual or infrequent use during the prior 12 months.\u201d However, she\u2019s consistently declined to speak to the extent to which staff have been suspended or placed in a remote work program because they were honest about their history with marijuana on a federal form that\u2019s part of the background check process.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t just activists who are condemning the suspension. Multiple members of Congress and federal candidates have slammed the agency over its decision.<\/p>\n

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Another example of the impact of our nation\u2019s outdated, harmful cannabis laws. And another reason why I\u2019m fighting so hard to end the federal prohibition of cannabis to correct these injustices. https:\/\/t.co\/L3tbE5Qjbq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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The press who love to bathe in the intersectionality of race-gender-sports should ask @JoeBiden<\/a> if he believes Sha\u2019carri Richardson should be barred from representing America for using a drug legal in most states that doesn\u2019t impact performance.<\/p>\n

I sure as hell don\u2019t.#unwoke46<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Maybe if @POTUS<\/a> and @VP<\/a> didn\u2019t support the racist drug war, they\u2019d have this American Champion\u2019s back. https:\/\/t.co\/dq5WChojaE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Time to get real America. It\u2019s past time to stop the failed War on Drugs. What\u2019s happening to Sha\u2019Carri Richardson is just one more example of its collateral damage large and small.<\/p>\n

The government needs to catch up with America and real life. #Olympics<\/a>\u00a0https:\/\/t.co\/QUzP6mZvwp<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Earl Blumenauer (@repblumenauer) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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There is no need for Sha\u2019Carri to apologize.<\/p>\n

We need to get rid of archaic rules for a substance that is fully legal in 19 states plus DC.<\/p>\n

And we need to legalize it at the federal level. https:\/\/t.co\/Ws0n8ykKIP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug. This outdated thinking needs to change. Let Sha’Carri run. https:\/\/t.co\/C4GAc6pWHa<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Charlie Crist (@CharlieCrist) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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It\u2019s time to legalize cannabis, regulate it, tax it, and stop treating people who use it as criminals. The current law is ruining lives not saving them. https:\/\/t.co\/PJBcaQrA4c<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rep. Dean Phillips \"🇺🇸\" (@RepDeanPhillips) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Sha\u2019Carri shouldn\u2019t be disqualified. Cannabis should be legal.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Charles Booker (@Booker4KY) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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No one should be in jail for smoking marijuana.<\/p>\n

No one should lose their job (or have a criminal record) for having smoked it.<\/p>\n

*AND* no one should ever be banned from athletic competition bc of it.<\/p>\n

End the stigma \u2022 Legalize it \u2022 Restore communities that have been damaged<\/p>\n

\u2014 Nina Turner (@ninaturner) July 2, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Meanwhile, a powerful congressional committee recently a report earlier this week that urges federal agencies to reconsider policies that result in the firing of employees who use marijuana legally in accordance with state law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Senators Urge Biden Administration To Help Navy Veteran Deported For Marijuana<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post White House Declines To Defend Runner Suspended From Olympics Over Marijuana Test, While Lawmakers Step Up<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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The White House on Friday declined to condemn a U.S. Olympics panel for suspending a famed sprinter over a positive test for marijuana, adding another level of frustration for advocates who have sharply criticized the administration for firing its own staffers over cannabis use. Sha\u2019Carri Richardson, known as the fastestContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":48633,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,81,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48632"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/458"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48632"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48634,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48632\/revisions\/48634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}