By Elizabeth Chuck-NBC News
For many people, the announcement that American sprinter
Sha'Carri Richardson was suspended for a month for failing an anti-doping test
, following her dazzling 100-meter victory at the Olympic trials last month, was as shocking as it was confusing.
Richardson tested positive for tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana that is not known to increase the athletic prowess of those who consume it.
Normally, its effect causes relaxation in people.
“It is not a steroid.
It is not a growth hormone.
It's nothing that makes you run faster, jump faster, or shoot faster.
It's the furthest thing from that, ”said Joseph M. Hanna, an attorney from Buffalo, New York, who does not work with Richardson but has represented major sports league franchises and professional athletes.
"It is much more likely to slow down your performance, rather than speed it up."
Recreational use of marijuana is approved by adults in New York
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However, marijuana is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's extensive list of prohibited substances whose use is completely prohibited for athletes or during competition periods.
Marijuana is included in the latter category, which means that its use is prohibited from 11:59 pm on the day before a competition until the end of that activity.
To be on that list, a substance must meet at the least two of the following criteria: must be regarded as
an enhancer of performance, pose a risk to the health of athletes and their use should violate the "sporting spirit"
, the code The agency defines 2021 as “the celebration of the human spirit, body and mind” that reflects the values of sport such as character, teamwork and “fun and joy”.
The United States Anti-Doping Agency, which announced Richardson's positive test last Friday, is a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency code, along with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
That means it follows the rules set by the global organization.
Sha'Carri Richardson in the women's 100-meter semi-finals in Eugene, Oregon, on June 19, 2021. Getty Images
Richardson, 21, used THC in the state of Oregon, where recreational marijuana is legal.
But Oregon law has nothing to do with the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency and, therefore, not with the guidelines of the United States Anti-Doping Agency.
Neither the United States Anti-Doping Agency nor the World Anti-Doping Agency responded to questions from NBC News about whether the use of THC was currently considered a violation of all three criteria on the banned substances list.
In a 2011 article, the World Anti-Doping Agency argued that
smoking cannabis improves performance by improving oxygenation and reducing anxiety
before competitions.
Steven Hawkins, acting president of the United States Cannabis Council, a trade group that seeks to legalize marijuana in the country, called the 2011 report absurd, arguing that there was no empirical evidence that THC improves athletic performance and was critical of the claim that it poses a health risk.
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[New York legalizes recreational marijuana use and expunges criminal records for that reason]
“If an athlete likes a drink, it is a health risk.
If an athlete smokes a cigarette, it poses a health risk.
If an athlete likes to eat a large, greasy hamburger, that poses a health risk.
Those things have nothing to do with an athlete's performance,
”he said.
On Friday, Richardson told NBC's TODAY show that he had turned to marijuana before the Olympic trials after a reporter told him that his biological mother had unexpectedly died.
The 100-meter dash star, who was raised by her grandmother, described her response to the news as "simply blinded by emotions, blinded by evil."
Because of this incident, Richardson is not qualified to compete in the 100-meter dash, but since her suspension will end while competitions continue, the athletics federation will allow her to participate in another event.
In a statement, the federation called his situation "devastating" and said it will provide resources for the mental health challenges Richardson faced "now and in the future," but did not address the possibility of allowing him to run.
[The UN removes cannabis from the list of most dangerous drugs and recognizes its important medicinal properties]
There is a precedent for changing the doping rules, said Hanna, the attorney.
Caffeine was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but is now allowed.
He said he could also foresee that marijuana prohibition would be relaxed.
"I would be very surprised if over the course of the next four years, when we get to the next Olympics, this has not been analyzed or changed," he said.
Richardson apologized on Friday to "my fans, my family, my patronage and those who hate me too," and said he wanted to be as "transparent as possible."
"But when it comes to Sha'Carri Richardson, it will never be a steroid," he
said.
"There will never be a steroid linked to the Sha'Carri Richardson name."