Olympic cannabis ban is re-examined after Sha’Carri Richardson is disqualified

By Maureen Meehan

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced Tuesday that it intends to review the status of cannabis on its banned substances list after athletics star Sha’Carri Richardson resigned from participating in the Olympics last summer in Tokyo after testing positive for cannabis in her home state of Oregon, where marijuana is legal.

The scientific review will be carried out by a group advising WADA in 2022.

Photo by Patrick Smith / Getty Images

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“After receiving inquiries from a number of stakeholders, the (Executive Committee) approved the List Expert Advisory Group’s decision to initiate a scientific review of the status of cannabis in 2022,” a WADA statement said. “Cannabis is currently banned from competition and will remain so in 2022.”

Fastest runner in the world

When Richardson tested positive for cannabis in the U.S. Olympic Athletics Trials in June, she received a month-long suspension, which her results – an exceptional 100-meter run of 10.86 seconds – earned her a spot in the Olympics had qualified, essentially nullifying the team.

Outcry then and now

The suspension sparked anger and a surge of support for Richardson in the cannabis industry and all sectors of society, including several members of Congress. Shortly thereafter, numerous organizations, including the White House, called for a cannabis status review through the US Bureau of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which Benzinga said at the time that it would “ask WADA to collect additional information.” on his cannabis policy. “

Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in July, the White House was seeking a meeting with WADA to discuss the position of cannabis as a banned substance, the ONDCP spokesman said.

A little science, please

One of the justifications for the suspension of Richardson, 21 – that cannabis was potentially performance-enhancing – has been flatly dismissed by scientists.

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“It is so ironic that they are using that argument now, even though very little scientific research has been done on the benefits of cannabis over the years,” said Dr. Peter Grinspoon, professor and cannabis expert at Harvard Medical School, told Benzinga at. the time. “Cannabis research was essentially banned, so no one really knows where the US Anti-Doping Agency got these standards from. Cannabis doesn’t hit any of them. “

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and was republished with permission.