A petition to reinstate Olympic track hopeful Sha’Carri Richardson after she was disqualified on Friday, July 2, 2021, is quickly approaching 500K signatures.
More than 499K are supporting the Change.org petition started by the group Move On after the flamboyant and charismatic track favorite tested positive for THC, the chemical agent found in marijuana. She has been suspended for 30 days, which will most likely make it impossible for her to run in the 100-meter race in Tokyo, which she was expected to win.
Richardson’s magnetism has captured the imagination of the sports world and she boasts advocates in entertainment as evidenced by support from “Married to Medicine” star Dr. Heavenly Kimes.
The issue was amplified exponentially because Richardson has emerged as the highest-profile track star since the initial explosion of Jamaica’s Usain Bolt during the 2008 Beijing Olympic games.
Richardson immediately admitted that she smoked the substance that is banned federally and by the International Olympic Committee, even though it is legal in 18 states and Washington, D.C. Moreover, 36 states decriminalized weed for medicinal purposes only.
The 22-year-old juggernaut admitted that she used marijuana as a coping mechanism after the death of her biological mother produced nearly unbearable emotional pain.
Even Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, and Jamie Raskin, D-Maryland, pleaded with the USADA to reverse the suspension in a letter written on Friday, July 2, 2021. According to Newsweek, the representatives said the rule on marijuana is based on “antiquated prohibition on the use of cannabis” and that “the divergent treatment of recreational alcohol and marijuana use reflects obsolete stereotypes about cannabis products.”
