No one in India has done weed (no really, Navika ma’am), but we know Seth Rogen to know what weed does. For those who don’t know him, well, it slows you down.
So when Sha’Carri Richardson, a US athlete was banned for taking the recreational drug, it was funny/fascinating to a lot of people. I’ll explain why exactly Richardson has been banned later in the article, but first, let us look at some reactions on her ouster which is going to jeopardise her Olympic dreams.
Now on to the technical part. This is the crux.
The World Anti-Doping Agency has a list of substances listed prohibited for competing athletes, and since USADA has decided to abide by the rules of the world organisation, it has to ban players if they are found to take any of those substances. Even if the said substance (weed in this case) is legal in the state the players belongs to.
And what substances are banned? The ones which enhance performance OR pose a health risk OR endanger the “spirit of sport”.
In Richardson’s case, WADA seems to be focussing on the last factor, and has pointed out that weed relieves stress, and can give undue advantage to the athlete.
A paper written by WADA scientists, also mentions that weed use can lead to “slower reaction times and poor executive function”, hence putting everyone at risk. Right!
That’s as much sense as I could make of the whole thing, which evidently isn’t a lot. WADA needs to be clearer about the rules and honestly, do away with some since they seem like moral policing more than anything else.