Olympic marijuana ban to be re-examined after Sha’Carri Richardson’s disqualification

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced Tuesday it would review the status of cannabis on its prohibited substances list, according to a press release from the agency. 

While cannabis will remain prohibited in 2022, any changes that stem from the agency’s review would not take effect until the following year. This comes after the agency received “requests from a number of stakeholders,” the release said.

This move follows the disqualification of 21-year-old Sha’Carri Richardson, an American sprinter who became an overnight sensation after winning the women’s 100-meter race at the U.S. track and field trials in June. In the days that followed the trials, Richardson received a positive drug test that detected a chemical found in marijuana in her system.

Though Richardson received a one-month suspension that would have ended before the Tokyo Olympics, her positive drug test negated her qualifying performance at the trials and cut her Olympic dreams short, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

Richardson’s disqualification sparked a larger conversation about the performance enhancing potential of cannabis. The drug is legal in several U.S. states including Oregon, the site of the U.S. track and field trials, the Journal noted.