World Anti-Doping Agency To Review Cannabis Ban

After a recent meeting, the World Anti-Doping Agency has decided to review its cannabis ban. The suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson for a positive cannabis test reignited the debate on the agency’s cannabis policy. WADA’s executive committee endorsed the decision to review its cannabis rules

Richardson’s failed cannabis test in July led to her suspension, effectively banning her from Olympic competition.

Following her mother’s death, Richardson said she used cannabis to cope with “emotional panic.” And while WADA sympathized “with the circumstances” of her case and praised Richardson’s “accountability for accepting that the rules are in place for athletes worldwide, they insisted that overturning the suspension was impossible. 

“These [decisions] will help further strengthen the global anti-doping program and the protection of clean sport. In particular, the decisions made by the committee in relation to compliance, the 2022 Prohibited List and in a number of science-related areas will prove to be important for the continued success of the system and for the good of athletes around the world,” said WADA President Witold Bańka 

In 2017, WADA removed CBD from its banned substances list. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency also includes THC and synthetic cannabinoids, such as “Spice” on its prohibited substances list.