The World Anti-Doping Agency appears set to keep cannabis on its list of prohibited substances for 2023, despite friction over American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension last year, according to people who have seen a draft copy of the list.
The decision, which is likely to be finalized at a meeting later this month, means athletes subject to WADA’s drug-testing code will continue to be subject to suspension if they test positive for cannabis in competition.
It also highlights tensions over a drug that is increasingly used legally for medical and recreational purposes in some countries, and whose effects on athletic performance are disputed.
WADA, which oversees drug testing in Olympic and other sports, last year agreed to initiate a scientific review of the status of cannabis on the prohibited list. The review came at the urging of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and U.S. politicians amid controversy after the suspension of Richardson, the 2021 U.S. Olympic trials women’s 100-meter champion who tested positive for a chemical found in marijuana and was left off the team for the Tokyo Games.
Richardson’s suspension sparked public debate in the U.S. in particular, where marijuana remains illegal at the federal level but is permitted for medical or recreational use in dozens of states.
Pro athletes such as Odell Beckham Jr. and Dwyane Wade expressed support for Richardson and fans on social media pointed out that marijuana is legal in Oregon, where the Olympic trials were held. Then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki described Richardson as “an inspiring young woman” while saying it was not appropriate for the president to comment on the suspension itself.
As the deadline approaches to finalize the WADA 2023 prohibited list, however, there are strong indications that cannabis will remain prohibited. WADA’s Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group has backed keeping a ban in place, saying that based on the scientific evidence available, the drug meets the criteria for inclusion on the list.
That advisory group circulated a draft list for 2023 that still includes cannabis. The group provides recommendations on the prohibited-substances list to WADA leadership, which typically follows the advice.
The World Anti-Doping Agency emphasized that the list is still provisional until later this month.
“The draft 2023 Prohibited List is still under consideration,” a WADA spokesman said in a statement. “WADA’s Executive Committee will be asked to approve the final version of the List during its 23 September meeting, with the List itself being published on or before 1 October and coming into force on 1 January.”
Officials from the Netherlands have advocated for removing cannabinoids, or chemicals found in cannabis, from the list. The Dutch anti-doping agency published details of WADA’s draft list alongside formal responses from Dutch authorities on its website.
“Cannabinoids most likely have a negative impact on athletic performance,” the agency wrote.
Other concerns raised by the Dutch included the possibility that the ban stood to prevent athletes from using popular CBD products. An agency official said he couldn’t comment further about the draft list.
The United States’ official position has been less clear.
Last year, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency argued that the “rules concerning marijuana must change,” according to a letter to U.S. politicians signed by USADA CEO Travis Tygart.
In the letter, Tygart noted the different marijuana policy of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, whose anti-doping program USADA oversees. Under that policy, Richardson’s positive test wouldn’t have resulted in a suspension because it was determined not to be intentionally used for performance-enhancing purposes. UFC doesn’t operate under the WADA code.
But WADA said that the U.S. had stopped short of calling for cannabis to be taken off the banned list entirely.
In a statement sent Friday, the WADA spokesman said, “to date neither the United States authorities nor the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has requested the removal of cannabis from the Prohibited List.”
In an interview, Tygart said, “For almost a decade, USADA has advocated for WADA to change its approach to marijuana so a positive test is not a violation unless it was intentionally used to enhance performance or endangers the health or safety of competitors.”
Cannabinoids such as hashish and marijuana have been on WADA’s prohibited list since it was first published in 2004. Cannabis is categorized as a substance of abuse on the list, appearing alongside cocaine, heroin and ecstasy.
Richardson said she had taken marijuana to calm her anxiety about a death in the family. She’s had uneven results since her Olympic-trials race, winning a few small meets but failing to qualify for the world championships earlier this summer in Eugene, Ore. On Thursday she finished seventh in the 100 meters in Zurich in the last meet of the season in the Diamond League, the world’s top professional series.
Richardson’s agent, Renaldo Nehemiah, wrote in a text message regarding the status of cannabis on the 2023 prohibited list: “We adhere to the rules as they’re currently in place” and declined to comment further.
In a July 2, 2021 letter to the heads of USADA and WADA, U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (D, Md.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D, N.Y.) called the marijuana ban “a significant and unnecessary burden on athletes’ civil liberties” and urged the governing bodies to reconsider policies that lead to suspensions for recreational marijuana use.
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Excerpt only. Attribution and link to full article source below:
By Rachel Bachman and Louise Radnofsky
Updated Sept. 12, 2022 9:25 am ET
Image Credit:
- ANDY LYONS/GETTY IMAGES
- "Sha’Carri Richardson runs in the 2022 USATF Outdoor Championships"
Source : Wall Street Journal
Link to original : Cannabis Set to Stay On World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List
