Sha’Carri Richardson doesn’t have to apologize for smoking weed

The US Anti-Doping Agency has announced that Olympic hopefuls Sha’Carri Richardson will be serving a month-long ban after testing positive for marijuana. The suspension could prevent Richardson from going to the Olympics.

Richardson reached out this morning to apologize to her fans for using cannabis. Now fans of the track star are waiting for the official decision on when the 30-day ban will begin.

According to ESPN, there is still a chance she can compete in the 4 × 100 meter relay at the Tokyo Olympics on August 6 if the ban is retrospectively backdated to the timing of the test results.

Athletes still need weed

Richardson is just one of many athletes who use cannabis. From professional basketball players to soccer stars, cannabinoids have helped athletes recover, manage anxiety, stay focused, and stay away from pain medication.

In that case, Richardson stated that she used cannabis to cope with the loss of her birth mother just a week before qualifying for the Olympics with a 10.86-second 100-meter race in Oregon last month.

The output brings a sharp focus on a played-out topic. Society continues to rely on athletes to entertain and represent us on some of the greatest stages in the world, but when do we allow them to partake in the same cannabis self-care as the rest of the world?

In Richardson’s case, it is important to consider when as a black queer athlete she is “allowed” to herself in this way. If the answer is “never”, we are preventing a world-class female athlete from taking care of her sanity as it sees fit.

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Trauma and triumph in public

If it wasn’t the amusement of seeing Richardson cross the finish line of her race with her fiery orange hair, it was probably the tender moment when she hugged her grandmother that sealed her place in our hearts.

What we should all have realized at that moment was Richardson’s ability not only to race her, but to do so at a turbulent and vulnerable time in her life.

Richardson showed courage, determination, and skill when she won her race after losing a loved one. As soon as she was done, she hurried to the stands and into the arms of her loving matriarch, who was visibly bursting with pride.

Performing at the highest level and facing a devastating loss in public is unlikely to be easy for anyone, let alone athletes who use cannabis for their physical and mental health. And in revealing that she was a cannabis user, Richardson did nothing but admit her own struggles and humanity.

Had she been prescribed a medicine to take the edge off, no one would have blinked. But because it was cannabis, the 21-year-old’s future is at stake.

Make Richardson compete in the 2021 Olympics

We’ll make it clear: Richardson dominated her race not only with gusto, but without any performance-enhancing drugs. You know, the ones that actually affect the results of the competition. Nothing about her cannabis use makes her less of a world class athlete, and nothing about her athletic performance makes her less of an Olympian.

Antiquated cannabis rules let athletes choose between the plant and their careers, and the world of sports has to keep up with the times.

Fortunately, according to Sports Illustrated, Richardson could compete in the 2021 Olympics. Even if their test times have been declared invalid, USA Track and Field can still select them for the Olympic 4 × 100 team today because of their status as one of the fastest 100-meter sprinters in the world.

While we wait for USA Track and Field to make the right decision and for Richardson to run, the World Anti-Doping Agency should remove cannabis from its prohibited substances list and modernize its rules on cannabis use.

Last time we checked, having cannabis in your system says nothing about any kind of addiction to, well, anything, but even so, Richardson apologized and pledged to seek treatment for her cannabis use. Their athleticism continues to shine, even when society and world sport hold them to a number of impossible standards.

At Leafly we hope to see this US Olympic championship run in Tokyo. Sha’Carri, we see you and we believe in you.

Janessa Bailey

Janessa was born and raised in the Midwest and is currently the arts editor for Leafly. She has a background in content, activism, and African American studies.

View article by Janessa Bailey

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