A growing choir of prominent voices are calling for a reevaluation of Olympics policies that punish athletes for marijuana after U.S. runner Sha\u2019Carri Richardson was suspended over a positive test. Now, the White House press secretary and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) are suggesting it may be time for change.<\/p>\n
While Press Secretary Jen Psaki previously\u00a0declined to condemn Olympics officials\u2019 sanction<\/a> on Richardson when asked about the issue at a briefing with reporters, she told CNN on Wednesday that the case highlights the need to \u201ctake another look\u201d at the rules on cannabis.<\/p>\n \u201cIt does stink,\u201d she said when asked about the decision to bar the athlete from a second event that fell outside the scope of the 30-day suspension. \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a better definition of it.\u201d<\/p>\n JUST NOW: “It does stink.”<\/p>\n WH @PressSec<\/a> Jen Psaki on decision from US Track and Field to keep @itskerrii<\/a> off Olympic relay team.<\/p>\n (this after @POTUS<\/a> last week said rules are rules over 100 meter ban.)pic.twitter.com\/MpPfttDlv1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 John Berman (@JohnBerman) July 7, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n \u201cShe has lost her mother, she\u2019d gone through a tragedy and she\u2019s also the fastest woman in the world\u2014and I think she\u2019s sending a message to a lot of little girls out there, you can do this,\u201d Psaki said. \u201cWe know the rules are where they are, maybe we should take another look at them. We certainly have to respect the role of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Olympic Committee and the decisions they make. But it is sad.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, USADA itself issued a statement on Wednesday that similarly expressed sympathy for Richardson and indicated the the marijuana ban may need to be lifted.<\/p>\n First it explained that while \u201cthe U.S. government has a seat at the table to provide feedback, and will continue to speak up for athletes, we are ultimately bound to the [World Anti-Doping Agency] rules.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is true even in sad and tough cases like this one, where we might take a different approach if the choice was ours to make,\u201d it said. \u201cWhile the rules here are clear, it is a terrible situation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cInclusion of cannabinoids, including marijuana, on the Prohibited List has been vigorously debated since WADA\u2019s inception back in 2003,\u201d it continued. \u201cMany now support it being removed since the list should be primarily about performance-enhancing substances and because marijuana is widely available in certain countries. However, many also agree from a sport health and safety standpoint that it should remain on the list to prevent possible impairment and serious injuries during competition.\u201d<\/p>\n USADA said<\/a> \u201cthese cases are heartbreaking for us,\u201d but it\u2019s hopeful that \u201cthis case can be used as an example as to the reasons why it\u2019s time to revisit the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the new Substances of Abuse provisions allow for reductions in sanctions for recreational drug use not connected to sport performance, athletes remain responsible for all substances they ingest. And it is important to note that despite the social, legislative, and scientific debate around cannabis in the U.S., there is global input on the way the anti-doping rules are formed that may not fully align with American sentiment. Not every country is engaged in the same debate about marijuana that the U.S. is now.\u201d<\/p>\n The outpouring of support for Richardson hasn\u2019t been limited to the White House or USADA. USA Track & Field also said this week that international policy on cannabis punishments for athletes \u201cshould be reevaluated,\u201d<\/a> for example.<\/p>\n President Joe Biden said on Saturday that while \u201crules are rules,\u201d he also suggested that there\u2019s an open question about whether \u201cthey should remain the rules.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0And that\u2019s notable for a president who has maintained an opposition to adult-use legalization.<\/p>\n A bipartisan group of members of Congress slammed Richardson\u2019s punishment last week, with leaders of a key House subcommittee sending a scathing letter to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and the Anti-Doping Agency, urging the bodies to \u201dstrike a blow for civil liberties and civil rights by reversing this course you are on.\u201d<\/p>\n Also, Nevada sports regulators voted on Wednesday to make it so athletes will no longer be penalized over a positive marijuana test<\/a>, with members citing Richardson\u2019s case during the meeting as an example of why the policy is inappropriate.<\/p>\n Advocates have broadly embraced internal marijuana policy reforms at other major professional athletic organizations, arguing that they are long overdue especially given the ever-expanding legalization movement.<\/p>\n NFL\u2019s\u00a0drug testing policy changed demonstrably<\/a>\u00a0last year as part of a collective bargaining agreement, for example. Under the policy, NFL players will not face the possibility of being suspended from games over positive tests for any drug\u2014not just marijuana.<\/p>\n In a similar vein, the MLB decided in 2019 to\u00a0remove cannabis from the league\u2019s list of banned substances<\/a>. Baseball players can consume marijuana without risk of discipline, but officials clarified last year that\u00a0they can\u2019t work while under the influence<\/a>\u00a0and can\u2019t enter into sponsorship contracts with cannabis businesses, at least for the time being.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a temporary NBA policy\u00a0not to randomly drug test players for marijuana<\/a>\u00a0amid the coronavirus pandemic may soon become permanent, the league\u2019s top official said in December. Rather than mandate blanket tests, Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would be reaching out to players who show signs of problematic dependency,\u00a0not those who are \u201cusing marijuana casually.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, a new poll from YouGov found that women are\u00a0notably more likely to oppose Richardson\u2019s suspension<\/a>\u00a0than men are.<\/p>\n Marijuana Legalization Is \u2018Inevitable\u2019 In Rhode Island And Could Happen This Fall, Top Lawmaker Says<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The post White House And U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Criticize Marijuana Ban After Richardson Suspension<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
A growing choir of prominent voices are calling for a reevaluation of Olympics policies that punish athletes for marijuana after U.S. runner Sha\u2019Carri Richardson was suspended over a positive test. Now, the White House press secretary and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) are suggesting it may be time for change.Continue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":458,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[99,18,126],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48730"}],"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=48730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48731,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48730\/revisions\/48731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: White House And U.S. Anti-Doping Agency Criticize Marijuana Ban After Richardson Suspension<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"