WADA has announced that they will review its policy regarding cannabis use

The World Athletic Doping Agency (WADA) will review its policy in regards to whether cannabis should remain banned from future competitions.

The World Athletic Doping Agency (WADA) will review its policy in regards to whether cannabis should remain banned from future competitions. This move followed the controversy and outrage over American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson missing the Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for cannabis.

The 21-year-old sprinter revealed that she used cannabis to cope with her biological mother’s death. WADA has said that there will be a scientific review that will take place next year and that the substance will remain banned till 2022. The anti-doping agency has said that a review is taking place following a lot of requests from several stakeholders.

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Richardson won the 100 metres at the US Olympic trials, where she ran the sixth-fastest time in the history of women’s athletics in the semi-finals. She was raring to go to the Olympics but it all crashed down when the athlete’s positive test came at the trials event. It meant that her qualifying time was removed and she was given a one-month suspension. These trials came a week after the death of her biological mother. Both US Federal Doping Agency and US Track and Field expressed sympathy for her situation and accepted that the substance does not enhance performance but they still had to follow the rulebook, in her case.

Testing positive for cannabis usually meant a four-year ban for the athlete, although it can be reduced to three months if they show that it was not used for enhancing performance. Any ban can be reduced to one month if the athlete agrees to a one-month rehabilitation programme.