American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson will not be allowed to run in the Olympic 100-meter race because of a one-month ban handed down for testing positive for marijuana. The issue is not that the suspension overlaps with the Tokyo Olympics, it is that the positive test comes so close to the U.S. Track and Field time trials that her times have been voided per the rules laid out. Richardson’s times are the second fastest of any woman in the world for the 100-meters, and the fastest in the United States. But USA Track and Field relies entirely on time trial results to select the Olympic team. According to the USADA, the reason that cannabinoids on the WADA Prohibited List are:

“Athletes who smoke cannabis or Spice in-competition potentially endanger themselves and others because of increased risk taking, slower reaction times and poor executive function or decision making.”
“Based on current animal and human studies as well as on interviews with athletes and information from the field, cannabis can be performance enhancing for some athletes and sports disciplines.”
“Use of illicit drugs that are harmful to health and that may have performance-enhancing properties is not consistent with the athlete as a role model for young people around the world.”

According to Sports Illustrated,  the “USATF has discretion in choosing the 4x100 relay team,” which leaves hope that Richardson may still be allowed to compete for U.S. gold this summer, albeit in a single event. Richardson told NBC in an interview on Friday that she had indeed used marijuana as a way to cope with the unexpected death of her biological mother, something that as reportedly revealed to her by a reporter during an interview one week before the Olympic Team trials in Oregon.

She told NBC that the news of her mother’s death “sent me into a state of emotional panic. I didn’t know how to control my emotions or deal with my emotions during that time.” Richardson apologized for letting people down and owned the decision to use marijuana therapeutically. Her interview, which you can see below, might give you a better understanding of how well she is handling this situation.

Responses of support for Richardson came fast. Nike, her sponsor, released this statement saying: “We appreciate Sha’Carri’s honesty and accountability and will continue to support her through this time.”

Many responded by bringing up Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps’ suspension for three months after a photo leaked to the press purporting to show the olympian smoking marijuana out of a bong. Sporting News points out that one of the differences was that Phelps never tested positive for marijuana use, which is the reason there was no movement to delete his times. But let’s be clear, responses of racial inequity in this case are not unfounded. Marijuana laws in our country were created by racists, for racists, and continue to be used in promotion of a white supremacist system of “justice.”

As for whether this might be reversed, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Rosenberg explains that because of the exclusive trial time criteria of the U.S. team, allowing Richardson to still compete would potentially open up a whole host of logistical issues for U.S. Track and Field.

Here is Sha’Carri Richardson being America’s fastest woman.

YouTube Video