As soon as she knew she’d done it, Sha’Carri Richardson put her hands to her chest and appeared to be near tears. Crossing the finish line first Saturday night in the final of the women’s 100 meters at the U.S. track and field Olympic qualifying meet was the moment Richardson had waited three years for, the moment so many young athletes dream of when they find their sport and decide to passionately pursue it.
Crossing the finish line first Saturday night in the final of the women’s 100 meters at the U.S. track and field Olympic qualifying meet was the moment Richardson had waited three years for.
Making it to the Olympics is undoubtedly special for everyone, as it is the culmination of years of practice and sacrifice, but it is even more special to qualify for the U.S. track and field team, the hardest to make in the world.
But Richardson’s response to winning Saturday night appeared to be more than her realization that she’d secured her ticket to Paris for the Summer Games that begin on July 26. It seemed to also be a response to the way she’d gained — and just as quickly lost — her berth in the Tokyo Games.
Richardson’s spot on that 2021 Olympic team was infamously and controversially stripped from her. After winning the 100 meters at the trials, she tested positive for THC, the primary compound found in cannabis, in a postrace drug test. Then 21, Richardson said she’d used marijuana to help her cope with the news that her biological mother had died, news conveyed to her by a reporter days before those trials began. (The Dallas native was raised primarily by a grandmother and an aunt.)
She accepted a one-month suspension, and while USA Track & Field, the sport’s governing body here, could have allowed her to run on the 4×100-meter relay in Tokyo (since it took place after her suspension ended), that didn’t happen.
Richardson’s suspension sparked a furious debate about whether the discipline was warranted given the growing acceptance of marijuana use and its legality in Oregon, where the Olympic trials are held. But all forms of cannabinoids (except cannabidiol) were, and still are, on the banned substances list of the World Anti-Doping Agency. All countries save three — Russia, North Korea and Gabon — are compliant with WADA’s anti-doping code.
The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency was seemingly on Richardson’s side. CEO Travis Tygart said in a statement at the time, “The rules are clear, but this is heartbreaking on many levels.” Even President Joe Biden questioned whether it was time to re-evaluate the ban.
Even President Joe Biden questioned whether it was time to re-evaluate the ban.
For as much as Richardson’s suspension came off as an extreme overreaction to something that has become a cultural norm in the U.S. and as an unwarranted punishment for a young woman experiencing personal turmoil, there were many who effectively shrugged and said Richardson knew the rule before she broke it and so she deserved what she got.
WADA was never going to ease its rule for Richardson no matter who had questioned it. But the maximum punishment for a failed THC test is multiple years. The minimum is the one-month ban Richardson received. So it could have been worse.
Still, days after Richardson’s suspension, USADA said it wanted more flexible rules for athletes who test positive for cannabis. WADA resisted then and continues to resist today.
In 2022, the global organization empaneled a group of experts from nine countries to conduct a thorough review of THC. According to the panel’s conclusion, while it’s unlikely that it is a performance enhancer, THC met two of WADA’s three criteria to determine a banned substance: Using THC could pose a health risk to athletes, and it violates WADA’s “spirit of sport,” a nebulous, subjective criterion. So THC remains on the banned list. While there is research showing that regular cannabis use can lead to some health issues, it’s the WADA panel’s conclusion that THC violates WADA’s “spirit of sport” that’s specious. According to USADA, “Essentially, no athlete should be using a prescription or non-prescription drug in a way that undermines the commitment all athletes share to uphold the values of clean sport. … Only when the playing field is level can people experience the true value of sport, including its power to inspire joy, build character, teach teamwork, and instill respect.” But WADA’s own experts said THC isn’t a performance enhancer, and, in fact, many current and former athletes laud its effectiveness in pain relief; in that way, it is certainly much better for the body and far less addictive than opioids. And in this day and age, how many people would dismiss Richardson and others as role models because they use marijuana? Who would cite her use of marijuana as a reason not to be inspired by her greatness? Other countries have dropped restrictions on recreational use of marijuana, and in the U.S., recreational use is permitted in 24 states and the District of Columbia; the federal government recently moved to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I to a lesser-dangerous Schedule III drug, even though its prohibition remains. Regardless, it’s all behind Richardson now, just like the eight women she beat in the 100-meter final Saturday. Already the reigning world champion in her signature event, she has put the suspension that kept her out of the Tokyo Olympics behind her, and she can now fully turn her attention toward Paris and winning Olympic gold. CORRECTION (June 25, 2024, 10:29 a.m. ET) A previous version of this article misstated the status of cannabis. The government has moved to reclassify it, but it has not done so already.
Shalise Manza Young
Shalise Manza Young is a nationally recognized opinion columnist focused on the intersection of race, gender and inclusion in sports and society. A former Division I athlete, she is passionate about track and field. She covered the sport at the Tokyo Olympics and serves as a high school track and field coach in Boston. 
