President Joe Biden has joined the chorus of celebrities and public figures discussing the suspension of American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson for marijuana.
Richardson emerged as a star at U.S. track and field trials last month in winning the women’s 100. The 21-year-old said she ingested the marijuana (in Oregon, a state where it is legal) after learning of her biological mother’s death.
Although marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug, a positive test triggers a one-month suspension under World Anti-Doping Agency rules, which the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency follows.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki commented on the issue last week, but Biden was asked about Richard’s positive test and subsequent suspension on Saturday.
“Rules are the rules. Everybody knows what the rules are going in,” Biden told reporters Saturday in Michigan. “Whether they should remain that way, whether that should remain the rule, is a different issue. Rules are rules.
“And I was really proud of the way she responded.”
Biden, while not a proponent of federal legalization of marijuana, discussed decriminalization while campaigning for president.
During a Friday appearance on the “Today” show, Richardson took accountability, saying: “I know what I did. I know what I’m supposed to do. I know what I’m allowed not to do, and I still made that decision.”
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) wrote a letter addressed to both leaders of USADA and WADA in an attempt for the bodies to reconsider the discipline.
“Their decision lacks any scientific basis,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter. “It’s rooted solely in the systemic racism that’s long driven anti-marijuana laws.”
Follow Chris Bumbaca on Twitter @BOOMbaca.
