When Sha’Carri Richardson won the women’s 100m at the US Olympic Track & Field trials in June, we witnessed the emergence of a new star in the sport.
Screaming “I’m a f*ing Olympian!”, Sha’Carri unleashed a smile that illuminated TV sets worldwide and endeared all to her vibrant persona.
We celebrated her achievement, especially as she collapsed into the arms of her grandmother in the stands, the emotions of all she experienced pouring out in embrace.
America had its star and dreams of a gold medal began to materialize.
Two weeks later, those dreams were dashed.
A report surfaced that the young sprinter tested positive for marijuana. That substance is banned by World Athletics, the governing body of the sport.
The report was confirmed, Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended and missed the Olympics.
We found out later that she used marijuana due to the stress of the Olympics and because she had recently discovered that her biological mother had passed away.
But it didn’t matter and her dreams of Olympic gold in Tokyo were crushed.
“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” Richardson said to TODAY after the punishment. “I know what I did. I know what I’m supposed to do and am allowed not to do, and I still made that decision. I’m not making an excuse. I’m not looking for any empathy in my case.”
In her absence, Team Jamaica swept the Olympic podium and almost every race that followed.
After the news broke, support for Sha’Carri swelled and protests erupted over the outdated law.
Last week, those angry voices were finally acknowledged.
Responding to “requests from a number of stakeholders” in international athletics, the World Anti-Doping Agency announced they would review its ban on cannabis.
“The ExCo endorsed the decision of the List Expert Advisory Group to initiate in 2022 a scientific review of the status of cannabis. Cannabis is currently prohibited in competition and will continue to be in 2022,” wrote the Agency in their statement.
This decision arrived too late for Sha’Carri but it’s proof that the pressure applied by her supporters did not fall on deaf ears.
And while the ban on cannabis continues through next year, it could signal that organizations are finally catching up to the trend of legalizing marijuana, something multiple states have already done.
