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U.S. track and field phenom\u00a0Sha\u2019Carri\u00a0Richardson may not\u00a0be able to represent\u00a0her country at the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this month after failing a drug test\u00a0for THC metabolites.\u00a0The positive test result was announced on Friday by\u00a0the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which added that Richardson has accepted a one-month suspension\u00a0for the rule violation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 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,\u201d\u00a0said<\/a> USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart in a statement from the agency.<\/p>\n Richardson won the\u00a0women\u2019s\u00a0100-meter\u00a0event at the U.S. track and field\u00a0trials held in Eugene, Oregon last month, a feat that\u00a0should have earned her\u00a0a\u00a0spot on the Olympic squad.\u00a0However,\u00a0the 21-year-old athlete failed a drug test administered after the event,\u00a0disqualifying her\u00a0results\u00a0and\u00a0triggering the action by the USADA.<\/p>\n Marijuana Banned By Anti-Doping Agencies<\/strong><\/p>\n Both the\u00a0United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the USADA follow the rules set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which bans all forms of cannabis except CBD.\u00a0The USADA noted in its statement that the \u201c2021 World Anti-Doping Code newly classifies THC as a \u201cSubstance of Abuse\u201d because it is frequently used in society outside the context of sport.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview\u00a0with NBC on Friday morning, Richardson said that she consumed marijuana after learning of her biological mother\u2019s death\u00a0while training for the Olympic trials in Oregon, where cannabis is legal for both medical and recreational use.<\/p>\n \u201cI know what I did, I know what I\u2019m supposed to do \u2026 and I still made that decision,\u201d Richardson\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0NBC News. \u201cI\u2019m not making an excuse or looking for empathy in my case. However, being in that position in my life, finding out something like that \u2026 Dealing with the relationship I have with my mother, that definitely was a very heavy topic on me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt sent me into a state of emotional panic,\u201d she\u00a0added<\/a>, saying, \u201cI didn\u2019t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson also\u00a0apologized to her family, friends,\u00a0and her sponsors, saying, \u201cI greatly apologize if I let you guys down, and I did.\u201d<\/p>\n Under USADA rules, an athlete who tests positive for marijuana can be suspended from competition for up to two years. Athletes who demonstrate that the use of marijuana occurred outside of competition and not for performance-enhancing purposes are subject to a three-month suspension, which can be reduced to one month if the competitor completes a drug counseling program.<\/p>\n Cannabis Advocates Call For Change<\/strong><\/p>\n In addition to the 2021 revision of the anti-doping policy on THC, in 2017\u00a0the WADA\u00a0amended its regulations to remove CBD from the\u00a0list of banned substances. But cannabis advocates argue that the changes don\u2019t go far enough. Rachael Rapinoe, the CEO of\u00a0Mendi<\/a>, a CBD brand focused on recovery products for athletes,\u00a0says that is time for\u00a0athletic regulating agencies to approve\u00a0all cannabis formulations, including\u00a0those that contain\u00a0THC.<\/p>\n \u201cThe use of high-quality cannabis products are healthier, more natural alternative methods of recovery than what is traditionally prescribed and used in sports medicine. I can tell you this from personal experience as a former professional athlete,\u201d\u00a0Rapinoe, who is the sister of U.S. Olympic\u00a0soccer superstar Megan Rapinoe, wrote in an email to Cannabis Now.\u00a0\u201cCannabis consumption is legal in many states and its recovery uses are recognized by many elite sports organizations, including the Olympics organization with its recent inclusion of CBD for athlete recovery, as it alleviates very real ailments that athletes face including pain, inflammation, and the impact that a high-performance, high-pressure job has on mood and sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws,\u00a0Erik Altieri, the executive director of the cannabis policy reform group,\u00a0suggested that the\u00a0decision to ban Richardson from the Olympic Games is unfair.<\/p>\n \u201cSha\u2019Carri\u00a0Richardson, like millions of her fellow Americans, turned to cannabis\u2019 therapeutic benefits to help her cope with the tragic loss of her mother,\u201d Altieri\u00a0said<\/a>.\u00a0\u201cTo use this as a rationale for denying this athlete, who is otherwise competing at the top of her sport, the ability to represent the United States at the Tokyo Olympics should be an unacceptable outcome in this situation. Let Richardson race.\u201d<\/p>\n Olympic Appearance Still Possible<\/strong><\/p>\n Although Richardson has been disqualified from competing in\u00a0Tokyo for\u00a0the\u00a0women\u2019s\u00a0100-meter competition, she may still be able to\u00a0race with the U.S.Olympic\u00a0team in the\u00a0women\u2019s\u00a04\u00d7100-meter relay.\u00a0U.S.A Track and Field, the sport\u2019s governing body, is responsible for making the decision\u00a0on Richardson\u2019s participation in that event, according\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n Richardson told NBC she is eager to return to the track.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is just one game. I\u2019m 21. I\u2019m\u00a0very young,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cUnlike most, I have plenty of games left in me to compete in and I have plenty of talent that backs me up because everything I do comes from me naturally: No steroids. \u2026 After my sanction is\u00a0up\u00a0I\u2019ll be back and ready to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n The post Positive Marijuana Test May Keep Sha\u2019Carri\u00a0Richardson Out Of Olympics<\/a> appeared first on Cannabis Now<\/a>.<\/p>\n
U.S. track and field phenom\u00a0Sha\u2019Carri\u00a0Richardson may not\u00a0be able to represent\u00a0her country at the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this month after failing a drug test\u00a0for THC metabolites.\u00a0The positive test result was announced on Friday by\u00a0the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which added that Richardson has accepted a one-month suspension\u00a0for the rule violation.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":381,"featured_media":48656,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50,99,1851,658],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48655"}],"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\/381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48655"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48657,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48655\/revisions\/48657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rachael-Rapinoe.jpg\")
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\nRead More: Positive Marijuana Test May Keep Sha\u2019Carri\u00a0Richardson Out Of Olympics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"