A joint divides the sports world: “Just let them run”

American sports celebrities and progressive media expressed their solidarity with the 21-year-old, who is considered the new star in the athletics sky and is now missing the 100-meter dash at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Even high politics is now concerned with the topic.

Richardson's suspension was announced last Friday. She later admitted to marijuana use in a "state of emotional pain" following the news of her birth mother's death, delivered by a reporter: "I apologize for not knowing how to control my emotions during this time or deal with my emotions. “I’m human,” the 21-year-old also offered as an excuse. "But there will never be any steroid abuse linked to Sha'Carri Richardson." “Guilty of being human” Shortly before the Olympics, the case is making waves in the USA. “Guilty of being human,” she said The Washington Post about Richardson, who believes that an outdated directive is now causing exactly what it was originally intended to avoid: pain. “Sha'Carri Richardson is guilty of coping, not doping,” the newspaper wrote. In the rigid Olympic system, she is now being prematurely treated as a fraud, which she is not.

There is no scientific consensus that marijuana improves performance in sports. Substances that are eligible for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) banned list are assessed according to three criteria: whether they have a performance-enhancing effect, whether they are harmful to health and whether they contradict the spirit of sport. WADA recently reduced the penalty for athletes who test positive for recreational drugs outside of competition from two years to one to three months.

Expressions of solidarity for the athlete known as “The Rocket,” who became the sixth fastest woman of all time in April (10,72 seconds), poured in across all sports. Quite a few of them express their lack of understanding in times of increasing legalization in the USA. Former basketball star Dwyane Wade, for example, accused states with restrictive marijuana laws of double standards. “The majority of you lawmakers smoke marijuana yourself and probably even invest in THC companies,” said the three-time NBA champion.

Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs described the consequences for Richardson as “garbage.” “Just let them run.” Richardson’s industry colleague and Olympic sprint champion Michael Johnson said: “I don’t know why marijuana is banned. Maybe for a good reason, maybe not. I wish the ban would be suspended until reasons for both are known.” “Rules are rules” US President Joe Biden Even US President Joe Biden had to comment on the topic at a routine press conference. “Rules are rules,” emphasized Biden. “Whether the rules should stay that way is a different issue.” Biden's spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, also noted: “Sha'Carri Richardson is an inspiring young woman who has been through a lot personally. She managed to be one of the fastest women in the world - and that is also an important part of the story." In the past, Richardson has spoken openly about her psychological difficulties several times; as a student she is said to have tried to take her own life.

Richardson's Olympic dream is not yet completely over. It would be possible to take part in the women's 4x100 m relay. The American association USATF and the National Olympic Committee USOC have not yet decided whether she can start.

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A joint divides the sports world: “Just let them run”

Track and field superstar Sha'Carri Richardson's marijuana ban has reignited the debate over the existing ban on cannabis in elite sport. International sports greats are pushing for approval, and now even US President Joe Biden is getting involved in the debate.

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