Should Athletes Be Suspended From Competition Due To Testing Positive For Marijuana?
The 2020 Summer Olympic Games were a time of record-shattering, awe-striking athletic performances, and incredible comebacks. But for Sha’Carri Richardson it was a time of grief, injustice, and controversy. In the events leading up to her failed drug test, Richardson had won the Olympic Trials in the Women’s 100m event with a time of 10.68 seconds. In the days after her drug test came back positive, Sha’Carri admitted to using marijuana in order to cope with the pressures of performing on a world stage, and with the death of her biological mother. Unfortunately, this failed drug test led to Sha’carri being suspended from the 2020 Olympics, and not being able to showcase her hard work and talent. But should Sha’Carri have been banned from competition for trying to prepare herself? Is marijuana actually a performance-enhancing drug? Should professional athletes be banned from competition if they choose to participate in cannabis drug use?
In a study conducted in April 2020, seven doctors conducted a systematic review on cannabis use in sports. In this review, the doctors focused mostly on cross-sectional studies of elite and university athletes. Cross-sectional studies are used when looking at a particular group of people at a moment in time. “Among 11 studies reporting use among athletes (n = 46,202), approximately 23.4% of respondents reported using cannabis in the past 12 months. Two studies found a negative impact on performance, while another 2 studies found no impact” (Cannabis Use and Sport: A Systematic Review, Docter). The doctors analyzed the demographic of elite athletes and their responses to marijuana. The experiment highlighted that marijuana either has no effect or is not conducive to the performance of these high-achieving athletes. Yet, cannabis continues to be a banned drug in athletic competition settings, because of the baseless skepticism surrounding the psychological and physical effects that the drug can have on certain people. There are several studies like this one that have supported the point that marijuana is not a performance-enhancing drug.
The World Anti-Doping Association responded with criticism of positive marijuana drug tests, claiming that drugs tarnish the “spirit of competition”. If we assume the WADA is focused on eradicating any drug-related advantages within competition, this claim should instead be aimed at a few drugs specifically created to enhance athletic performances: creatine, anabolic steroids, steroid precursors, and amphetamines. There is a difference between athletes purposefully using drugs made to enhance athletic performances to win, and athletes using marijuana which is scientifically proven to worsen or not affect their performance. “Studies show that cannabis can also worsen people’s reaction time and tamper their decision-making abilities … whether it is driving a car, lifting heavy weights, or cycling along the shoulder of a busy road” (Can Marijuana Make You a Better Athlete?, O’Connor). Athletic performance-enhancing drugs have the opposite effect that marijuana has on athletes while they are performing: increased alertness, concentration, and decreased fatigue. Suspending athletes from competitions due to testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs is understandable. These drugs do create an unfair advantage in competitions which both ruins the spirit and point of athletics and makes them impossible to judge fairly. However, marijuana does not provide that same edge, so it does not tarnish competition and the athletic experience.
The World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) claims that marijuana acts as a performance-enhancing drug. These voices state that cannabis helps athletes enhance their focus, calm their nerves, and increase oxygen flow. Unfortunately, their claims are not backed up by scientific research. In fact, there are scientific studies that reject WADA’s claim that marijuana is a performance enhancer. In a study conducted by six scientists on the effects marijuana has on the performance of athletes, results showed that “cannabis consumption before exercise induces decrements in performance” (“Acute Effects of Cannabis Consumption on Exercise Performance: A Systematic and Umbrella Review, Charron). Some of the effects marijuana had on the athletes were reduced ability to maintain effort, undesired physiological responses (increased heart and breathing rate), and neurological effects on balance (increased sway). This study concluded that cannabis consumption has the effect of impairing crucial functions that athletes need in order to perform to their best ability. Marijuana does not act as a sports performance-enhancing agent as raised by popular beliefs, and athletes who use it should not be suspended from competition.
What can you do to raise awareness about this issue? Creating awareness is the most effective way to create change within the rules surrounding the admittance of athletes who test positive for marijuana into competitions. Writing to the WADA over email (compliance@wada-ama.org) can help capture the attention of the organization and help them understand the flaws within their reasoning to ban athletes who tested positive for marijuana.
You can also engage in civil discourse and utilize public platforms to promote your message. Engaging in civil discourse encourages people to share their opinions and learn from one another. It can help people see that there are many sides to every argument, and this is an impactful way to help people realize the relevance and importance of this topic. Posting on social media promotes conversation between users who share common beliefs and users who disagree on topics of discussion. Either way, this tactic encourages people to talk about controversial topics such as this one, which will raise awareness about the issue.
We will never know if Sha’Carri would have won gold in the Women’s 100m at the Summer 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is unfortunate that Sha’Carri had to suffer for this topic to be brought to light, but a conversation about it has been long overdue. Professional athletes who use marijuana for recreational or medical purposes should not be suspended from athletic competitions. Sha’Carri and many others, such as John Capel and Shelby Houlihan, have trained hard their entire lives, putting time, effort, and tears into their sports. Their dreams and their livelihood should not be stolen by people who are baselessly skeptical about marijuana usage. We should not be complacent in times of heart-breaking injustice, so please take action. Together we can fight to keep athletes in competitions regardless of whether they partake in the usage of marijuana recreationally or medically.
Works Cited
Charron, Jeremie, et al. “Acute Effects of Cannabis Consumption on Exercise Performance: A Systematic and Umbrella Review.” The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 28 July 2020, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32734752/.
Docter, Shjufta, et al. “Cannabis Use and Sport: A Systematic Review.” Sports Health, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 5 Feb. 2020, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32023171/.
Mather, Victor. “Why Marijuana Can Disqualify a Runner from the Olympics.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 July 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/02/sports/olympics/marijuana-olympics-shacarri-richardson.html.
O’Connor, Anahad. “Can Marijuana Make You a Better Athlete?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 July 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/11/well/move/marijuana-olympics-ban.html?searchResultPosition=2.
Richtel, Matt. “Science Doesn’t Support the Idea That Marijuana AIDS Athletes’ Performance.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 July 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/sports/olympics/marijuana-sports-performance-enhancing.html?searchResultPosition=3.
Adams, Irma B., and Billy R. Martin. “Cannabis: Pharmacology and … — Wiley Online Library.” Wiley Online Library, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1360-0443.1996.911115852.x.
Ashton, C. Heather. “Pharmacology and Effects of Cannabis: A Brief Review: The British Journal of Psychiatry.” Cambridge Core, Cambridge University Press, 2 Jan. 2018, https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/the-british-journal-of-psychiatry/article/pharmacology-and-effects-of-cannabis-a-brief-review/82B02735F420CB287DCC80843FC34AE1.
