Sha'Carri Richardson's Olympic suspension turns to heated debate on cannabis

Advocates are calling for a change within the international sports world.

The suspension of Sha'Carri Richardson, the flamboyant sprinter who finished first in the 100-meter dash at the U.S. Olympic trials, over a failed drug test for marijuana has already sparked calls from advocates for a change within the international sports world.

Although the 21-year-old told reporters she used marijuana during the Olympic trials in Oregon, which has legalized the substance for recreational use, as a way to cope with the loss of her birth mother, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspended her for 30 days citing the World Anti-Doping Agency's ban on cannabis.

Marijuana legalization advocates said Richardson's case should propel the U.S. to urge international sports leaders to take a hard look at the association's rules and the reasoning behind them.

"America is the birthplace of harsh cannabis policies and like many things we exported it around the world," Matthew Schweich, the deputy director of the nonprofit group the Marijuana Policy Project, told ABC News. "There's a lot that needs to be undone."

However, Schweich and other experts warned that this battle will be a marathon and not a sprint due to the rest of the world's strict policies on marijuana use.

"I don't think you'll see the world community will flip a switch [on cannabis rules] just because the United States says it's legal," Mark Conrad, the director of the sports business program at Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business, told ABC News.

Cannabis has been on the WADA list of banned substances since 2004. A substance is banned by the association if it meets two out of three criteria: "potential to or enhances sport performance"; "actual or potential risk to health" and "against the spirit of sport." Athletes can apply for a "therapeutic use exemption" with a doctor's approval if they need medical cannabis.

In 2011, WADA published a paper in Sports Medicine explaining why marijuana fit all three criteria. As a performance enhancer, the paper stated the substance "reduces anxiety, allowing athletes to better perform under pressure." For risk to health, the paper said marijuana causes "slower reaction times and poor executive function or decision making." And as a sign of it being against the spirit of sport the paper said it's "not consistent with the athlete as a role model for young people around the world."

Schweich said that the organization's reasoning is hypocritical given that alcohol and nicotine are permitted by WADA even though they have similar effects on the body.

"The World Anti-Doping Agency is supposed to stop doping," he said. "Sha'Carri Richardson's marijuana use has nothing to do with doping."

pur-new-sol

Related Questions