The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) issued a statement on Friday in response to the suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson. Their response was due to an inquiry from Jamie Raskin and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
The three-page statement went into great detail, explaining that although they are always looking out for American athletes, they ultimately can only enforce the rules set for by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
They explained that the anti-doping rules are based on the consensus of Stakeholders, and the USADA has no voting ability. They can make suggestions during the comment phase of the rule-making process, and the “USADA has advocated for more flexible and fair rules to address the use of marijuana by athletes.”
Their statement clarifies their authority and ability to change the rules when it comes to international sports.
“Most governments in the world have been very reluctant to take marijuana off the prohibited list for public health reasons,” the statement read. “It is worth noting that when marijuana was included in the first prohibited list in 2004, one of the strongest advocates for inclusion of marijuana on the prohibited list was the U.S. government.”
The USADA acknowledged that although the sporting community does not accept marijuana as a performance-enhancing drug, science had revealed its emotional and mental health benefits — such as easing anxiety, depression, tension, and fear.
They claim that the relief of these “inhibitors” gives the athlete the upper hand over their competition, as their nerves are cool as a cucumber.
The one-month suspension Richardson received is the “absolute minimum sanction USADA was permitted to impose,” lest they violate the WADA rules they’ve sworn to uphold.
They insist that if the situation were entirely under their jurisdiction, Richardson’s “positive test of marijuana would not have resulted in a period of suspension since it was determined not to be intentionally used for performance enhancing purposes.”
It’s also been revealed that because the USADA doesn’t have any authority over the rules, they’ve taken great lengths to inform every athlete of the risk they task by consuming marijuana.
The statement concluded by clarifying that Richardson has taken full responsibility for her action, went through these educational programs, was informed of the consequences, and consciously chose to partake.
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