Lounging in the backyard on a Sunday afternoon with a roll of marijuana may be completely legal in certain parts of the US but is not under the country’s anti-doping regulations. The substance has put Sha’Carri Richardson out of the 100-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics. President Biden has said “rules are rules” [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/04/shacarri-richardsons-suspension-joe-biden-news], but shouldn’t they be changed now?

Richardson, touted as a frontrunner in the Games, has been suspended for a month by the US Anti-Doping Agency after being tested positive for cannabis. [https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/01/sports/olympics/shacarri-richardson-suspended-marijuana.html] The news has set off a row on social media with fans being in shock and wondering why the drug is still on the prohibited list. Some experts have also argued that there may not be any evidence supporting cannabis to be a “performance-enhancing drug”. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/03/shacarri-richardson-marijuana-olympics-doping-ban/] While marijuana is widely known to calm the nerves, its ability to offer undue advantage to athletes remains the topic of contention.

The 21-year-old sprinter had taken the drug in Oregon, where it is legal, after learning of her mother’s death. According to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis, is a substance of abuse. [https://www.wada-ama.org/en/content/what-is-prohibited/prohibited-in-competition/cannabinoids] WADA prohibits any substance if it meets two of these three conditions: it can enhance performance, it can harm an athlete, or its use can be considered against the spirit of sport. While the first point is currently under fire, the last two criteria can be ambiguous.

Sportspersons have also voiced their opinion on the controversy. Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, who was the 2020 Super Bowl Most Valuable Player, strongly criticized the decision: “This is so trash man… just let her run!” Meanwhile, Michael Johnson, Olympic and world champion of the 1990s, gave a balanced view: “I don’t know why marijuana is banned. Maybe a good reason. Maybe not… I wish people would stop calling her and this ban stupid unless you know the reason for both.” [https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2021/07/04/2003760265]

Richardson hurled a sarcastic tweet without naming anyone: “All these perfect people that know how to live life, I’m glad I’m not one of them!” [https://twitter.com/itskerrii/status/1411553678406922242]

Also see:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/07/04/olympics-let-shacarri-richardson-run-stop-drug-tests-cannabis/7858337002/