Jul 27, 2021 - Sports

World Athletics president supports reviewing marijuana rules in doping

Erin Doherty

Sha'Carri Richardson looks on after winning the Women's 100 Meter final on day 2 of the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field on June 19, 2021 in Eugene, Oregon — Sha'Carri Richardson looks on after winning the Women's 100 Meter final at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials. Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The president of the international track body World Athletics said Tuesday that he supports a review of marijuana's status as a doping substance after American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was banned ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, AP reports.

Driving the news: Sebastian Coe said that Richardson's absence is "a loss to the competition" and that a review is now sensible and "it should be" done, per AP.

"Nothing is set in tablets of stone,” Coe said. "You adapt and occasionally reassess."

Flashback: Richardson, who was set to be one of the faces of Team USA in Tokyo, accepted a one-month suspension after testing positive for marijuana earlier this month.

The big picture: The threshold for what constitutes a positive marijuana test was relaxed after the 2012 London Olympics to make sure that tests discovered in-person use and not smoking days ahead of the competition, per AP.

“It’s not an unreasonable moment to have a review of it,” Coe said. “The AIU will look at this in the light of current circumstances.”
WADA updates the prohibited list each year and change could be in place for the 2022 season.

Go deeper: Sha'Carri Richardson tests positive for marijuana, will miss 100-meter race

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World Athletics president supports reviewing marijuana rules in doping

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