{"id":49537,"date":"2021-08-20T09:00:22","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T17:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/08\/20\/shacarri-richardson-says-shed-be-blessed-if-her-marijuana-suspension-led-to-end-of-the-ban-for-other-athletes\/"},"modified":"2021-08-20T13:45:47","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T21:45:47","slug":"shacarri-richardson-says-shed-be-blessed-if-her-marijuana-suspension-led-to-end-of-the-ban-for-other-athletes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2021\/08\/20\/shacarri-richardson-says-shed-be-blessed-if-her-marijuana-suspension-led-to-end-of-the-ban-for-other-athletes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sha\u2019Carri Richardson Says She\u2019d Be \u2018Blessed\u2019 If Her Marijuana Suspension Led To End Of The Ban For Other Athletes"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

U.S. sprinter Sha\u2019Carri Richardson is hopeful that her suspension from participating in the Olympics after testing positive for marijuana<\/a> will lead to an international policy change for athletes, and she says she would be \u201cblessed\u201d if that happens as a result of her punishment.<\/p>\n

The suspension sparked a global conversation about the cannabis ban, with experts contending that the plant is not a performance enhancing drug and its use should not be a disqualifying factor for athletes. The issue came up in an interview with Richardson that aired on NBC\u2019s \u201cToday\u201d on Friday.<\/p>\n

The runner said that she takes responsibility for violating the anti-doping rules, and she\u2019s \u201chere to take what it is that I have to take from the choices that I decided to make.\u201d The athlete admitted to using cannabis in Oregon after learning of her mother\u2019s death.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t run from reality,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s still going to be there no matter how long you choose to ignore it, no matter how long you choose to think it\u2019s going to go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the reality of the World Anti-Doping Agency\u2019s (WADA) marijuana ban may change amid the public pushback against it that followed Richardson\u2019s suspension. The runner said she\u2019d be happy if the prohibition was lifted and if the reaction to her circumstances led to reforms that protected other athletes from being penalized over cannabis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf those rules do change, honestly I\u2019m just blessed and proud of the fact I could do that for other athletes,\u201d she said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Watch Richardson discuss international marijuana policy for athletes, starting around 2:15 into\u00a0the video below:<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Sha’Carri Richardson (@itskerrii<\/a>) took the track by storm at this year\u2019s Olympic trials, winning the 100-meter race in spectacular fashion. But she was suspended and left off Team USA after testing positive for THC. @LlamasNBC<\/a> spoke to Richardson about her return to competition. pic.twitter.com\/AxXjU5pcR3<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 20, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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WADA has made clear that the U.S. has played a key role in placing marijuana on the list of prohibited substances<\/a>\u00a0for international athletes\u2014and it still has a seat at the table if it wants a policy change<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a letter to Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)\u2014who had reached out to WADA about the Richardson\u2019s suspension\u2014the global organization provided background on why marijuana was included in the banned substances list in the first place and explained why it couldn\u2019t unilaterally reverse the punishment.<\/p>\n

The first president of WADA, Richard Pound, also said in a recent interview with Marijuana Moment<\/a> the the U.S. bears much responsibility for the enactment of the cannabis ban.<\/p>\n

Separately, The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) also responded to the letter from Raskin and Ocasio-Cortez by asserting that the rules on marijuana for international athletes \u201cmust change.\u201d USADA had previously expressed sympathy for Richardson and indicated that it may be time for a reevaluation of the marijuana prohibition<\/a>\u2014but its most recent statement went further by explicitly calling for a policy change.<\/p>\n

USADA wrote that \u201cPresident Joe Biden described the way forward best when he said\u201d that the \u201crules are rules,\u201d\u00a0but stating that those regulations may need to be reevaluated<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The White House press secretary\u2014like USADA\u2014also expressed 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> on Richardson when asked about the issue at a briefing with reporters last month, 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 has similarly said that international policy on cannabis punishments for athletes \u201cshould be reevaluated.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Following Ocasio-Cortz and Raskin\u2019s letter, a separate group of\u00a0lawmakers also sent a letter to USADA<\/a>\u00a0to 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 members of Congress 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

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) was among the lawmakers who\u2019ve been critical of Richardson\u2019s suspension<\/a>. He argued last month that it is hypocritical that athletes would be penalized for using marijuana when alcohol use is largely tolerated. And he also said cannabis is only a performance enhancing drug in the context of food eating competitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug unless you\u2019re entered in the Coney Island hot dog eating contest on Fourth of July,\u201d he said at a House Judiciary Committee meeting. \u201cTo take [Richardson\u2019s] right to appear and her dream away from her is absurd, and this Congress should see that we don\u2019t have these problems in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a separate federal commission hearing on international sports<\/a> last month, a representative of USADA said in res[onse to questioning by Cohen that the organization is \u201cheartbroken\u201d over Richardson\u2019s case and supports \u201cliberalization\u201d of current bans. He claimed that the body\u2019s hands are tied with respect to enforcing international drug policy, however.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 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

On Thursday it was announced that the online marijuana marketplace Weedmaps is teaming up with NBA star Kevin Durant<\/a> for a multi-year partnership that\u2019s aimed at destigmatizing cannabis and showcasing the plant\u2019s potential value for \u201cathlete wellness and recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Congressman Urges Passage Of Marijuana Banking Bill While Broader Reform Is Considered<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Sha\u2019Carri Richardson Says She\u2019d Be \u2018Blessed\u2019 If Her Marijuana Suspension Led To End Of The Ban For Other Athletes<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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\nRead More: Sha\u2019Carri Richardson Says She\u2019d Be \u2018Blessed\u2019 If Her Marijuana Suspension Led To End Of The Ban For Other Athletes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. sprinter Sha\u2019Carri Richardson is hopeful that her suspension from participating in the Olympics after testing positive for marijuana will lead to an international policy change for athletes, and she says she would be \u201cblessed\u201d if that happens as a result of her punishment. The suspension sparked a global conversationContinue 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\/49537"}],"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=49537"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49538,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49537\/revisions\/49538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}