Sha’Carri Richardson | Fifth Ave Green House

Just last month, American sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson celebrated a victory in the US athletics tests in Oregon that qualified her for the US Olympic team. However, after a positive cannabis test, she was banned for a month and her 100-meter race win in qualifying was declared invalid.

Who is sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson?

Shekhar Richardson is an American sprinter and athletic sensation who competes in the 100 meter and 200 meter disciplines. This young contender was born in March 2000 and rose to fame as a freshman at Louisiana State University.

In 2019 she ran 100 m in 10.75 seconds, setting a new record at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. That made her one of the fastest 19 year old women in the world.

It dominated the opening weekend of the US athletics tests in Oregon last month. Her sparkling appearance, long orange hair (“to make sure I was seen,” she said), and emotional moments as she ran into the stands to embrace drew attention to her grandmother.

Her 100m time of 10.72 seconds made her an instant favorite to win gold in Tokyo and delivered a highly anticipated Olympic showdown with Jamaican sprinter Shirley Ann Fraser Price.

Richardson ran the second fastest 100m this year behind Fraser Price and in April the sixth fastest time of all time.

“This will be the last time the US won’t win a gold medal in the top 100,” Richardson told NBC’s “Today” show.

Why was Richardson banned?

Richardson’s 100-meter run win in the US athletics tests in Oregon should have secured her a spot, but a positive test result for THC automatically voided her qualifying time from that grand meeting.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency announced the positive test Friday morning and said Richardson had accepted a month-long suspension from June 28.

Richardson’s positive test came about a week before the US Olympic and Paralympic Games had to submit the names of athletes competing in Tokyo.

Richardson should be one of the most famous Olympians in the USA, at least by the end of the Games. Now she faces the prospect of not going at all.

Why is cannabis on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances?

In order for a substance to be included in WADA’s list of prohibited substances, it must meet two of the following criteria.

It improves or might improve performance.

It poses a health risk to athletes.

It violates the “spirit of the sport”.

Is cannabis performance enhancing?

The drug Richardson tested positive for – tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana – is not known to improve the athletic performance of people who consume it. It is usually taken for its relaxing and calming properties.

“It’s not a steroid. It’s not a growth hormone. There’s nothing about it that will make you run faster, jump faster, throw faster – the farthest,” said Joseph Hanna, a Buffalo, New York attorney who did not work with Richardson, she has represented major sports leagues and professional athletes. It has more ways of slowing you down than speeding you up. ”

Does it pose a health risk?

In a 2011 paper, the World Anti-Doping Agency identified smoking cannabis as a performance enhancement because it improves oxygen uptake and reduces fear of running.

Steven Hawkins, the interim chairman of the American Cannabis Commission, called the 2011 report absurd, arguing that there was no empirical evidence that THC improves athletic performance and sharply denied claims that it was harmful.

Does it violate the “spirit of sport”?

While it could be argued that the use of cannabis or other illegal drugs violates the sporting spirit, this is clearly an old understanding of the rules and is out of date given that cannabis is legal for recreational use in 18 states.

What does WADA say?

WADA has said that marijuana “can be performance enhancing”, can pose risks to athletes, and “violates the spirit of sport”. However, many people would likely disagree with this statement.

Wait, if the ban is only for a month and ends on July 27th, why can it compete in Tokyo, which starts on July 30th?

The qualifying run, which earned her a place on the Olympic team, was removed from the record books after a positive test.

Could Richardson still be in the Olympics?

With her suspension ending before the women’s 4×100 relay started, she had a chance to make it onto the team. But the relay pool will probably be filled by athletes who receive results from the tests.

There are no official results for Richardson so getting them on the team may take some legal battle or collaboration with other players.

Is cannabis allowed in American professional sports leagues?

Public opinion about marijuana is changing and professional sports leagues and drug policies are under scrutiny as more athletes adopt the idea of ​​marijuana as a medicine.

How big is it?: Of the 123 teams in the four major sports, 45 teams play in states or provinces where recreational marijuana is legal (36.6 percent), while a further 56 teams play in jurisdictions where medical marijuana is legal (45, according to ESPN), according to ESPN , 5 percent). That’s 101 out of 123 teams, or 83%, playing in areas where players can legally purchase cannabis.

NFL policy: Players without previous violations can only be tested once during the offseason. During the regular season, each team will randomly select ten players each week.

Penalty:

First positive test: enrollment in a substance abuse program.

Second, a fine for two-game checks.

Third, four-match check with a fine.

Fourth, suspension for four games.

Fifth: Ban for 10 games.

Sixth, one-year suspension.

NBA policy: No off-season testing. During the regular season, players are randomly tested four times.

Penalty:

First positive test: enrollment in a substance abuse program.

Second, $ 25,000 fine.

Third, five-game suspension, followed by a five-game increase for each subsequent positive test.

MLB guideline: The use of marijuana is prohibited, but the League will only test it if there is a “reasonable reason”.

Penalty: If a player tests positive, they could be tied to a treatment plan that could include a progressive fine of up to $ 35,000 for a single test.

Then we have the NHL. The NHL does not penalize players who test positive for marijuana (it is no longer classified as a prohibited substance). Instead, the alliance focuses on identifying people who need help and making sure they get it.

If a player’s THC level is “abnormally high”, the league doctors will report this and recommend treatment. But again, there is no penalty – neither the NHL nor the NHLPA need to know about it.

What other Olympic athletes caused controversy over cannabis use?

Robinson isn’t the first athlete to face controversy over cannabis use. Canadian-born snowboarder Ross Rebagliati won a gold medal in men’s snowboarding at the 1998 Winter Olympics. He was later found to have THC in his system and he was disqualified. The main reason that the decision was overturned was that THC was not on the list of prohibited substances.

Swimmer Michael Phelps, with 28 Olympic medals, caused a stir in 2009 when it was discovered that he was smoking weed from a bong. He kept all his medals and was allowed to continue to compete. However, his situation was very different as the schedule between deployment and the time of participation is very different as Phelps was deployed months after the 2008 Olympics and out of competition. However, he was serving a three-month ban.