The rules on marijuana for international athletes \u201cmust change,\u201d the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said in a response letter to members of Congress on Friday following the suspension of runner Sha\u2019Carri Richardson over a positive cannabis test. Separately, the White House is now reportedly seeking a meeting with international sports regulators to discuss the possibility of a policy change.<\/p>\n
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jamie Raskin (D-MD) recently sent a letter to the U.S. athletics governing body on the penalty against Richardson, who admitted to using marijuana in a legal state after learning about her mother\u2019s death. Earlier this week, USADA expressed sympathy for the runner and indicated that it may be time for a reevaluation of the marijuana prohibition<\/a>\u2014but the latest statement, in a letter to the lawmakers, explicitly calls for a policy change.<\/p>\n At the same time, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) is working to secure a meeting with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to discuss enacting reform on the international sports stage. The Financial Times reported<\/a> on Friday that the government intends to discuss issues \u201cincluding the timeframe for testing, and the basis for the consideration of cannabis as a performance enhancing drug.\u201d<\/p>\n In its letter to Ocasio-Cortez and Raskin, USADA said it \u201cagrees that Ms. Richardson\u2019s exclusion from the Tokyo Olympic Games is a heartbreaking situation and that the World Anti-Doping Agency\u2019s rules concerning marijuana must change.\u201d<\/p>\n USADA\u2019s Response Letter to Congressman Raskin and Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortezhttps:\/\/t.co\/D8fg7bGbzO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 USADA (@usantidoping) July 9, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n However, the organization said it and WADA are \u201cin very different positions of authority and we sometimes have different views when it comes to what substances are included, or not included, on the WADA Prohibited List and what consequences result from a Positive Test.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe anti-doping rules are legislated by WADA based on the consensus of Stakeholders worldwide. USADA does not make or have a direct vote on the anti-doping rules but, as a WADA Code Signatory, we are required to enforce them,\u201d it said. \u201cDuring the Stakeholder comment phase of the rule-making process, USADA has advocated for more flexible and fair rules to address the use of marijuana by athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile those rules have indeed become more flexible and fair over time, USADA has argued for still more changes and will continue to advocate for changes going forward. Because USADA is required to enforce the rules as written, however, it has gone to great lengths to ensure that all athletes are informed through our education programs of the risk and potential consequences of a positive marijuana test during competition.\u201d<\/p>\n This represents the most forceful comments the nation\u2019s top governing body on international sports has made since new broke of Richardson\u2019s suspension. It also reveals that USADA has been pushing for a change prior to the high-profile suspension.<\/p>\n It said that funding could be jeopardized if the U.S. were to let Richardson compete in violation of rules mandating a 30-day ban under the UNESCO Convention Against Doping in Sport.<\/p>\n \u201cMs. Richardson\u2019s one-month suspension was the absolute minimum sanction that USADA was permitted to impose under the Code. Anything less would have resulted in USADA being non-compliant with the WADA code,\u201d it said. \u201cContinued non-compliance by USADA could result in serious consequences to U.S. Athletes (inability to participate in the Olympics, World Championships and other International Competitions) and the U.S. Government (loss of seats on the WADA Foundation Board and WADA Committees and more importantly the international embarrassment to U.S. athletes that USADA\u2019s noncompliance would cause under the UNESCO Convention and otherwise).\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGiven that Ms. Richardson voluntarily accepted the outcome, there is no longer any legal process to challenge it or to reverse it. Further, any decision by USADA to attempt to reverse Ms. Richardson\u2019s one-month suspension would be futile. WADA, World Athletics or the IOC would have quickly appealed such a decision and may have resulted in a lengthier suspension for Ms. Richardson.\u201d<\/p>\n The response letter also acknowledged that the origin of the marijuana ban was largely influenced by the U.S. government in the 1990s\u2014something the first president of WADA touched on in a recent interview with Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n And while advocates have strongly opposed the penalty against Richardson, USADA said that questions still remain as to whether marijuana should be considered a performance enhancing drug, as it \u201chas also been reported in scientific literature and anecdotally by athletes that marijuana can decrease anxiety, fear, depression and tension thereby allowing athletes to better perform under pressure and alleviating stress experienced immediately before and during competition.\u201d<\/p>\n Even so, \u201cUSADA has consistently put forward recommendations that the rules addressing cannabis and cannabinoids should be more flexible and fair,\u201d the letter says. And while some reforms have been enacted to lessen the severity of punishments for athletes who test positive for marijuana, USADA would \u201cgo still further in mitigating the harsh consequences of a positive marijuana case in a situation like Ms. Richardson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n The organization noted that USADA amended its marijuana policy for domestic professional fighting that\u2019s not subject to WADA rules. On that note, 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 \u201cSimply put, USADA will continue to be very active in its efforts to change how marijuana is addressed under the WADA Code and Prohibited List,\u201d the new letter states. \u201cGiven USADA\u2019s inability to unilaterally change the rules governing marijuana in sport, USADA has gone to great lengths to ensure that all athletes are informed of the risks and potential consequences of a positive marijuana test during a competition.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter concludes with a section titled \u201cThe way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n USADA wrote that \u201cPresident Joe Biden described the way forward best when he said\u201d that the \u201crules are rules,\u201d but those regulations may need to be reevaluated<\/a> and he\u2019s proud of Richardson for how she responded to the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cSo is USADA,\u201d the group said<\/a>. \u201cUSADA will continue to advocate for rule changes which would better address tragic situations like Ms. Richardson\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Richardson\u2019s suspension for using marijuana in a legal state after learning news of her mother\u2019s death has elicited widespread calls for reform in the governing bodies of the Olympics.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, the White House press secretary\u2014like USADA\u2014expressed sympathy for the runner and indicated that it may be time for a reevaluation of the marijuana prohibition<\/a>.<\/p>\n Press Secretary Jen Psaki previously\u00a0declined to condemn Olympics officials\u2019 sanction<\/a>\u00a0on Richardson when asked about the issue at a briefing with reporters last week, but she told CNN in the newer comments that the case highlights the need to \u201ctake another look\u201d at the rules on cannabis, especially in light of the decision to bar the athlete from a second event that fell outside the scope of the 30-day suspension<\/p>\n USA Track & Field also said this week that international policy on cannabis punishments for athletes\u00a0\u201cshould be reevaluated.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n A bipartisan collection of members of Congress slammed Richardson\u2019s punishment last week, with Ocasio-Cortz and Raskin sending the scathing letter to USADA and WADA on behalf of key House subcommittee they respectively co-chair and chair, urging the bodies to \u201dstrike a blow for civil liberties and civil rights by reversing this course you are on.\u201d<\/p>\n A separate group of\u00a0lawmakers also sent a letter to USADA<\/a> on Friday to urge a policy change.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that cannabis does not meet the description of scientifically proven risk or harm to the athlete,\u201d those 18 lawmakers wrote, \u201cand the USADA is perpetuating stereotypes and rhetoric fueled by the racist War on Drugs by claiming its usage, in private use and outside of competition, violates the \u2018spirit of the sport.\u2019\u201d<\/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 Read the new statement from USADA on Richardson\u2019s marijuana-related suspension below:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n USADA letter on Richardson \u2026<\/a> by Marijuana Moment<\/a><\/p>\n How U.S. Bullying In The 1990s Led To The Olympics Marijuana Ban Behind Richardson\u2019s Suspension<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/em><\/p>\n The post Top U.S. Sports Regulator Says Marijuana Policy \u2018Must Change\u2019 As White House Pursues Global Meeting<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n
The rules on marijuana for international athletes \u201cmust change,\u201d the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) said in a response letter to members of Congress on Friday following the suspension of runner Sha\u2019Carri Richardson over a positive cannabis test. Separately, the White House is now reportedly seeking a meeting with international sportsContinue 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":[99,18,81],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48767"}],"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=48767"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48768,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48767\/revisions\/48768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\nRead More: Top U.S. Sports Regulator Says Marijuana Policy \u2018Must Change\u2019 As White House Pursues Global Meeting<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"