Exclusive: Sha'Carri Richardson Speaks Out About Failed Drug Test Sha'Carri Richardson, a 21-year-old American track star, has tested positive for a chemical found in marijuana, putting her Olympic participation in doubt.
(Image by YouTube, Channel: TODAY) Details DMCA
This is totaly outrageous. Sha'Carri Richardson tested positive for marijuana and the testing org, The United States Anti-Doping Agency. The NYTimes reported that her win in a key qualifying event was invalidated because of her pot use. That lowered her ranking AND made her ineligible to participate in the early parts of the Olympic games.
She explained that she used the marijuana because she was dealing with the death of her biological mother.
I have a number of problems with this.
1-I don't see reports of white olympians getting flagged. Marijuana laws are racist as we've seen from incarceration percentages.
2- The US policy puts US athletes at a disadvantage. USPORTS (Canadian University Sport) does not test for any marijuana components for example and has not done so since Canada legalized marijuana. This is one more reason to legalize it.
3- It's unfair that the recreational drug Marijuana is screened but not alcohol.
4- In reality, there are many ways marijuana decreases or impairs athletic performance., decreasing lung function, cognitive ability.
5- There are some positive benefits, but none of them do anything a Tylenol or Ibuprofen, a cup of tea or meditation won't also do-- stress or pain reduction and relaxation.
All canabinoids are banned from use by The World Doping agency (WDA). This is medieval, fundamentalist idiocy and it has to stop.
Time to Change The Frame to outrage about the WDA Including Cannabinoids in the Banned List
Right now, the conversation is about "poor Sha'Carri Richardson" getting busted for using pot. That should be changed to outrage that archaic pot laws are being used to keep a strong Black woman out of the Olympics. All around the world, states and nations are legalizing Marijuana and Cannabinoids. The World Doping Agency is playing politics, serving the interests of the same kinds of people who advocated for temperance-- i.e., making alcohol illegal.
This conversation is ripe with possibility to change things.
The threat of repercussions may prevent Sha'Carri Richardson from speaking out against the WDA, but we can, and others who support Marijuna reform and fairness can, as well.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
2
1
1
