World Anti-Doping Agency wants to rethink cannabis ban
Debate after top US sprinter banned for positive test.
The World Anti-Doping Agency rethinks cannabis in sports bans as perspectives change. Two months after the United States' top sprinter was banned from participating in the Tokyo Olympics for a positive marijuana test, the international agency that oversees banned substances in sports said she was ready to uphold her ban on cannabis rethink. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced on Tuesday that it would act on the recommendation of its expert advisory group on the prohibited list and initiate "a scientific review of the status of cannabis". Cannabis is on WADA's list of banned substances, and the agency said it will continue to do so in 2022. This development follows the suspension of Sha'Carri Richardson in July, who won the 100-meter run at the Olympic Games in the USA that summer. Weeks before the Tokyo Games started, Richardson accepted a month-long suspension after the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced it had tested positive for cannabis. Both the United States Anti-Doping Agency and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committees adhere to the WADA Prohibited Substances Code. The suspension of Richardson, 21, has been widely criticized and ridiculed, with many observers both inside and outside the athletics world pointing to the inconsistency of a marijuana ban at a time when a growing number of states in America - and even the federal government - are in favor Use the legalization of marijuana. (The USADA's official rationale for banning marijuana use among its athletes is that marijuana poses a health and safety risk to athletes and that cannabis can be performance-enhancing.) White House press secretary Jen Psaki regretted the suspension, pointing out that Richardson's mother had recently passed away. "That really stinks," said Psaki in an interview on cable television. "I don't think there is a better definition for it. She lost her mother, she's been through a tragedy and is the fastest woman in the world at the same time - and I think she's sending a message to a lot of little girls out there: you we can do it. We know the rules are what they are; maybe we should reconsider them. We must of course respect the role of the US Anti-Doping Agency and the US Olympic Committee and their decisions. But it is sad." Other voices in politics scoffed at the suspension. "Marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug unless you take part in the Coney Island hot dog eating contest on July fourth," said Rep. Steven Cohen, a Democrat who represents Tennessee's ninth district. "Your right to appear, your dream to take away, is absurd. Cohen urged his colleagues on Capitol Hill to press ahead with cannabis reform. "Congress should make sure we don't have these problems in the future. We're de-classifying marijuana. We're leaving it to the states. If \[Richardson\] gets along with margaritas, Red Bull, or whatever they drink these days, Had drunk it would have been okay because it wouldn't have made itself felt in her body, and if it had made itself felt in her body - if she had been 0.02 per mille - she would still have been allowed to walk "said Cohen. "But with marijuana it could be 20 days ago and just a puff or two and she's gone. So let's be realistic," he continued. "The war on drugs is a total failure. Nancy Reagan was wrong. Everyone who followed her and those who said 'just say no' were wrong because that wasn't enough. Let's get this bill Goodbye, let's decriminalize marijuana, and let's get our people so far that they won't be plagued by the US Congress' cultural delay. " For her part, Richardson stood by her decision. "I want to take responsibility for my actions," said Richardson in an interview after the positive test result became known. "I know what I've done and what I'm not allowed to do. I know what I'm not allowed to do and I made this decision anyway. I don't want to apologize or, in my case, seek compassion, but in this situation I do being and figuring out something like that - something I would say has positively and negatively impacted my life when it comes to my relationship with my mother - that was definitely a tough topic for me. "