The World Anti-Doping Agency announced Tuesday that it would revisit whether cannabis should remain on its list of prohibited substances, just three months after American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified from the Olympics after testing positive for the drug.
Regardless of the agency's decision, cannabis will remain banned in 2022 as any changes to their prohibited substances list will not take effect until the following year, according to a press release.
And while WADA did not mention Richardson in its announcement, the agency did say that it made its decision to review whether marijuana should remain a banned substance after receiving "requests from a number of stakeholders."
WADA's announcement comes after Richardson accepted a 30-day suspension in June for violating the agency's anti-doping policy. She then had to miss out on the Tokyo Games and have her Olympic trial results disqualified.
She said in an interview on NBC's "Today" show following her positive test that she takes "responsibility for my actions."
"I know what I did. I know what I'm supposed to do," Richardson said. "I know what I'm allowed not to do, and I still made that decision."
She also explained in the interview that she had resorted to marijuana use to cope with the death of her mother.
"We all have our different struggles, we all have our different things we deal with, but to put on a face and have to go out in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain," Richardson said.
"Who are you? Who am I to tell you how to cope when you're dealing with a pain or you're dealing with a struggle that you've never experienced before or that you never thought you'd have to deal with," she continued. "Who am I to tell you how to cope? Who am I to tell you you're wrong for hurting?"
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