Prepared to appear at the Tokyo Olympics as an American sprinter, Sha’Carri Richardson was ready to break more records. However, Richardson was suspended from running for one month after she tested positive for THC in her system. After winning a 100-metre sprint in Oregon, her test results disqualified her, per ruling by the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
We know what you’re thinking. Doping? Cannabis? Do the two really interlock? And if they do, will she receive the same treatment as other not-so-innocent athletes? Also, how does smoking weed give an advantage to an athlete exactly? The answers to these questions, in order, are no, no again, and no it doesn’t.
Image via @carririchardson_ on Instagram
Why Was Sha’Carri Richardson Using Cannabis?
Thanks to the War on Drugs, there’s a lot of poorly perceived, inaccurate assumptions about cannabis consumption. Growing up in America during this time, commercials and parents alike would tell you that smoking pot makes you lazy or a burnout.
We know this stance is pure bullshit because it’s not about protecting your financial safety at all. Now that Richardson, for instance, has been “exposed” as a marijuana user, these critics are actually saying the opposite; apparently cannabis is now a performance-enhancing steroid.
The USADA itself even calls marijuana a “performance-enhancing” substance. Meanwhile their website cites an article that only reports that it CAN be performance-enhancing. But this was never a fact to begin with, nor was it ever proven. It’s more than evident that Richardson is dealing with nothing more than an outdated, uninformed, and biased system.
This is fair treatment for an athlete using steroids. Cannabis isn’t such a substance, however. And what’s worse? Richardson was not even using THC at the event itself. A couple of days before the Oregon event, an unwitting reporter revealed to Sha’Carri that her mother had passed away. This method of revelation was described as “nerve-shocking” by Richardson.
“It sent me into a state of emotional panic,” she told The New York Times. “I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.” So who would’ve thought? This has nothing to do with professional athletics, making the whole fiasco likely very intruding for Richardson.
—–
What’s worse now is that Richardson is not going with America’s team to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to this incident. So not only is a personal choice of hers that she made on her own time being blown up in the media, it is also costing her opportunities she deserves for literally winning the qualifying rounds.
This article exists less to praise or criticize Sha’Carri Richardson, but more to inform those who read it. Let it be known that this is a moment in public culture that should not be happening, because no one deserves to have their life broadcasted and politically charged just because they smoked a joint. This is a human that people are talking about, so don’t act like you know her personally.
More CBD and Cannabis Content:
IS CBD BAD FOR YOU?
BEST CBD FOR NAUSEA
WHY WEED BRANDS SHOULD LIST TERPENES ON THEIR PRODUCTS
BEST CBD LOTION FOR PAIN
THESE CBD TINCTURES ARE THE BEST CBD FOR ANXIETY
