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Runner in starting position
The sports world is talking about marijuana again after U.S. Olympic runner Sha’Carri Richardson, who lost her spot in last year’s Olympic games due to minor marijuana consumption in her free time, expressed outrage when a Russian competitor was allowed to compete despite failing drug tests.
Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson won the U.S. Olympic trials in Oregon and was a favorite for winning the gold medal in track and field, given her stellar performances. She tragically received news of her mother’s death while she was attending the trials. She consumed marijuana to cope with the traumatic news—which was perfectly legal, as adult-use cannabis is legal in Oregon. The next day, her urine tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana), which is banned by the Olympic Committee.
The controversy over Richardson’s ban resurfaced in recent days after another drug scandal rung through the Olympic community: Russian ice-skater Kamila Valieva, 15 years old, was found to have three heart-related drugs in her system, including one, trimetazidine, which is on the list of drugs banned by the World Anti-Doping Code. The three drugs together “seem to be aimed at increasing endurance, reducing fatigue and promoting greater efficiency in using oxygen,” commented Travis Tygart, chief executive of the United States’ Anti-Doping Agency. He added that this specific cocktail of drugs is “an indication that something more serious is going on.”
The World Anti-Doping Agency initially pressed to ban Valieva from the Beijing games, but she was ultimately allowed to compete by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Valieva was given favorite to earn a gold medal and given Russia’s track record with state-sponsored doping for their Olympic athletes, outrage spread across the western world.
“The court of arbitration for sport has done something I thought I would never see: It is allowing an athlete who has a positive doping test within the last two months to compete in the Olympic games and most likely win one of the most prestigious gold medals there is,” commented sports journalist Christine Brennan.
“Can we get a solid answer on the difference of her situation and mine? My mother died and I can’t run and was also favored to place top 3. The only difference I see is I’m a black young lady,” Sha’Carri Richardson tweeted after the news of Valieva’s permission to compete broke.
“You can’t talk about double standards in relation to Russian and American athletes, each case is individual,” said Mark Adams, spokesman of the International Olympic Committee in defense against this accusation. “Richardson’s positive doping test was discovered on 19 June, and the result was received before the start of the Olympics. She was suspended for a month. There is nothing in common between these two cases.”
Ultimately, Valieva’s participation did not lead to a gold medal. The athlete stumbled and fell four times on the ice and finished the competition in tears, not getting a spot on the podium. The controversy remains, however.
Why Is Marijuana Banned?
The World Anti-Doping Code defines three criteria for banning a substance: it is performance-enhancing, it poses a risk to the athlete’s health, and it is a “violation of the spirit of the sport.” Two criteria must be met for a substance to be banned. To justify banning cannabis, the Olympic Anti-Doping Agency points out the potential health risks of being high—specifically dizziness, impact on decision-making and other symptoms that only occur while someone is actively high. Which was not the case for Sha’Carri Richardson, who was not stoned on the day of the competition itself but the day prior. However, to check a second box, the World Anti-Doping Agency applies the nebulous “violation of the spirit of the sport” to marijuana consumption during one’s free time.
But is marijuana performance enhancing? There have been claims by the World Anti-Doping Agency that cannabis gives “an edge” to athletes, as marijuana reduces anxiety and improves sleep. Studies “suggested that athletes were mainly motivated to use cannabis due to its effects on relaxation and well-being, promoting better sleep,” the agency claims. However, if that justifies a ban from the Olympics, one might wonder whether a warm tea or an evening with loved ones should also be banned, as both reduce anxiety and promote better sleep just as much as a joint might.
The status of marijuana as a banned substance in the Olympics is extremely controversial. More than a decade ago, highly decorated Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was seen using marijuana during his free time and was given a three-month suspension from the Olympics. Michael Phelps has won 28 medals, 23 of which are gold, yet his personal-use marijuana habit was seen as a violation of the spirit of the sport and a potential health risk for himself, which checked two of the three rules of the World Anti-Doping Code. Luckily for Phelps, and unfortunately for Richardson, his ban occurred out of season and did not stop him from winning piles of gold medals, while Richardson’s ban occurred during the 2021 Olympic competition.
It is interesting to note that alcohol, which was once banned for exactly the same reasons as cannabis—it allegedly runs against the spirit of the sport and being drunk induces dizziness and poor decision making in the very short term—was removed from the list of banned substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2018.
Following Sha’Carri Richardson’s ban, the World Anti-Soping Agency reacted to international pressure by announcing a review of cannabis’ status as a prohibited substance. “Cannabis is currently prohibited in competition and will continue to be in 2022,” the agency warns, but there is hope that this will change in the near future.
