Sign my petition to keep Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100 at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

ABSOLUTELY NOT. This is not the kind of trash we need representing us in international competition at all, let alone the Olympic Games. She likely would not have been going anyway before this disgraceful, idiotic pot bust took place. Have you forgotten she was already facing suspension? Unlike her, show some class and do NOT support her bid to represent us in Tokyo.

rojo wrote:

1) She’s clearly the best 100 runner in the US.

2) Marijuana isn’t a performance enhancer in track and shouldn’t be on the banned list.

3) The only way I can see her keeping her spot is if all of the US100 runners with the standard turn down the spot if offered it by USATF. Then USATF will have to nominate her.

Please spread the word.

http://chng.it/t6KMB27ph4

PS. I don’t want to get into any marijuana debates. Yes, it was foolish for her not to abstain right before the Olympics but it’s also foolish for those in charge to even be bothering to test for it.

Marijuana is considered a performance enhancer, because it induces relaxation. Relaxation is particularly important in sprinting. Read the WADA code.

You may be correct regarding your point about Cole Hocker. I think many of us simply want to see the stars perform but some of can be ambivalent and entertain the notion that both sides have some merit. Do I think Richardson deserves a break here? My heart says yes and my head says maybe not…

rojo wrote:

PS. I don’t want to get into any marijuana debates. Yes, it was foolish for her not to abstain right before the Olympics but it’s also foolish for those in charge to even be bothering to test for it.

So you encourage drug use? You want your kids to become potheads?

People who are saying that she should have known the rules etc…. Athletes are people. We should not be subjecting them to stupid restrictions for absolutely no reason. Marijuana can really help with anxiety. For all the talk of supporting mental health, here’s someone under immense pressure, from a broken home, dealing with the recent death of her biological mother and she…smoked a joint. And now because she did people really think it’s appropriate to kick her off of the Olympic team? We should be providing thc to track and field athletes to help deal with stress, not banning it.

blameusatf wrote:

People who are saying that she should have known the rules etc…. Athletes are people. We should not be subjecting them to stupid restrictions for absolutely no reason. Marijuana can really help with anxiety. For all the talk of supporting mental health, here’s someone under immense pressure, from a broken home, dealing with the recent death of her biological mother and she…smoked a joint. And now because she did people really think it’s appropriate to kick her off of the Olympic team? We should be providing thc to track and field athletes to help deal with stress, not banning it.

I actually do feel for her and was tempted to sign. I mean she's a great athlete and smoked a joint which doesn't enhance her performance.

But there is also the fact rules are rules.

I've abided by rules through most of my life. I had speeding tickets, I had to pay the consequences. I never have enjoyed alcohol, so I never had to worry about any consequences there.

I have tried cannabis a total of 2 or 3 times in my life. The first time I felt a bit high, it was unique but I wasn't desperate to try it again.

I've dealt with hardship and stress. I didn't go for alcohol or cannabis.

I know that smoking a joint doesn't make you a bad person per say, but in my life generally (at least when I was younger) the people who smoked pot where

-academically less inclined

-lazy

-also into other drugs

-basically the kind of people I rarely if ever associated with

I feel for her and it must be devastating to run a great time, but rules are rules. We all face hardships.

What are the chances of the other 3 athletes giving up their spots to support her?

blameusatf wrote:

People who are saying that she should have known the rules etc…. Athletes are people. We should not be subjecting them to stupid restrictions for absolutely no reason. Marijuana can really help with anxiety. For all the talk of supporting mental health, here’s someone under immense pressure, from a broken home, dealing with the recent death of her biological mother and she…smoked a joint. And now because she did people really think it’s appropriate to kick her off of the Olympic team? We should be providing thc to track and field athletes to help deal with stress, not banning it.

Yeah you make sense BUT this is a slippery slope. Do alcohol and marijuana help Archery contestants relax and perform better, for example? It is really difficult when the rules are not applied equally. That is my main objection to your post. Otherwise you state your case well.

Signed (from Canada, hope that's alright..)

Anti-doping rules should police the use of performance enhancers, only. The presence of substances on the banned list due to narcotic prohibition laws rather than performance enhancements is outdated moralistic BS. Whether it is marijuana or heroin, if it not a performance enhancer, it should not be under the purview on the anti-doping agencies to penalize.

Marijuana is now legal in many states and countries. Alcohol was illegal during prohibition. You wouldn't get banned for a month for getting a DUI. Who is the anti-doping agency to judge?

rojo wrote:

2) Marijuana isn’t a performance enhancer in track

No, but it is a masking agent.

Hope she gets at least two year suspension.

blameusatf wrote:

People who are saying that she should have known the rules etc…. Athletes are people. We should not be subjecting them to stupid restrictions for absolutely no reason. Marijuana can really help with anxiety. For all the talk of supporting mental health, here’s someone under immense pressure, from a broken home, dealing with the recent death of her biological mother and she…smoked a joint. And now because she did people really think it’s appropriate to kick her off of the Olympic team? We should be providing thc to track and field athletes to help deal with stress, not banning it.

This is possibly the worst defense I have read on this thread. Are you suggesting that her performance at the Trial could have been worse if she had not been able to deal with her anxiety with the help of marijuana? If that's the case, you are essentially admitting that marijuana is a performance enhancing substance for her.

NumbersMakeTheWorldGoRound wrote:

Signed (from Canada, hope that's alright..)

Anti-doping rules should police the use of performance enhancers, only. The presence of substances on the banned list due to narcotic prohibition laws rather than performance enhancements is outdated moralistic BS. Whether it is marijuana or heroin, if it not a performance enhancer, it should not be under the purview on the anti-doping agencies to penalize.

Marijuana is now legal in many states and countries. Alcohol was illegal during prohibition. You wouldn't get banned for a month for getting a DUI. Who is the anti-doping agency to judge?

Painkillers are banned because they allow you to push through the pain barrier which is dangerous. That's why they're banned not because they're narcotics.

Summary of thread:

Posters who understand the rules: She's guilty, end of discussion

Posters who want the rules bent (in other words, poster who don't believe in the existing rules): She broke the rules, but give her a free pass.

Where do the rules end? I bet she's not the only USATF athlete who's tested for marijuanna. If she gets a free pass, shoudln't everyone as well, even if they didn't even qualify for the trials?

It's not really fair. It's only a controversy because she won and was on TV.

Her fans want her to do well, but if she gets a break in the rules are they going to rush to defend everyone else who's tested for marijuana?

No they aren't.

Greg wrote:

Summary of thread:

Posters who understand the rules: She's guilty, end of discussion

Posters who want the rules bent (in other words, poster who don't believe in the existing rules): She broke the rules, but give her a free pass.

Where do the rules end? I bet she's not the only USATF athlete who's tested for marijuanna. If she gets a free pass, shoudln't everyone as well, even if they didn't even qualify for the trials?

It's not really fair. It's only a controversy because she won and was on TV.

Her fans want her to do well, but if she gets a break in the rules are they going to rush to defend everyone else who's tested for marijuana?

No they aren't.

I mean, yes, everyone who took marijuana both now and in the past should get a pass. Even if it is a "performance enhancer" (extremely dubious claim for sprinting) it should still be allowed as iron supplements can be "performance enhancers" yet we allow those because they aren't a class of drug that we think should be forbidden.

This petition is a great idea but I don't think having all 31 women with the standard "pass" is feasible practically. imo it would be more effective to petition USATF to create an exception to their own rules like they did to temporarily put Shelby on the OT start lists, or petition WADA to dismiss the case somehow.