WADA owes Sha'Carri Richardson the same break it's been giving Russian athletes [View all]

Let’s talk about Sha’Carri Richardson, WADA, and weed.

Last week, American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was excluded from the Tokyo Games based on a positive marijuana test, in violation of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) rule against banned substances. Yesterday, we learned she was deprived of a chance to run in Tokyo by her own country, who had the chance to salvage the Olympics for her, but chose not to.

Full disclosure, I use weed sometimes (my kids tell me this is the “old people” name for marijuana, so if someone wants to tell me the hip, cool name, I’d be grateful). Believe it or not, I had never tried it before it was legalized in Illinois in 2019. I’m a Gen Xer raised smack dab in the middle of Nancy Regan’s “Just Say No,” campaign, socialized to be terrified of anything classified as a “drug,” which was reinforced by the passing of Maryland hoops star Len Bias in 1986. When I went to college, I stuck with alcohol, arguably one of the most dangerous drugs out there. After all, Nancy never told me not to drink.

But after decades of struggling with depression and anxiety, combined with the rise of Twitter, on which one merely survives in a day-to-day battle with toxicity, I gave edibles a try. Immediately, I understood exactly why people were so passionate about legalization. All that adrenaline and cortisol running through my body seemed to dissipate. My mind slowed down and stopped spinning. I was able to sleep. I felt … normal.

All this is to say that yes, WADA is decades behind the times when it comes to how it views marijuana, not to mention the racist tropes that demonized a perfectly helpful herb in the first place. If a white, suburban Gen Xer like me who drives a Kia gets a significant mental health benefit from weed, you can bet a whole lot of others are doing the same. After all, marijuana is now legal in 18 states.

https://deadspin.com/wada-owes-sha-carri-richardson-the-same-break-it-s-been-1847246693
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Oh, so you're sick of talking about Sha'Carri? Rules are rules, you say? Read the rest of the article. The writer makes perfect sense.