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The decision to ban US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson from competing in the 100-meter dash over her use of \u2026<\/b>
\nGood Subscriber Account active since The decision to ban US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson from competing in the 100-meter dash over her use of marijuana is \u00ab\u00a0an instrument of racist and colonial policy,\u00a0\u00bb Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez argued Friday. Richardson,21, was handed a 30-day suspension from the US Olympic team after testing positive for THC, the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis. The suspension comes after she won the June 19 Olympic trials with a time of 10.86 seconds, a performance that has been disqualified. Richard’s suspension was announced Friday by the US Anti-Doping Agency. But Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, blamed the International Olympic Committee for the decision. Although cannabis is generally not considered a performance-enhancing drug, the World Anti-Doping Agency, an arm of the IOC, deems it a \u00ab\u00a0substance of abuse.\u00a0\u00bb \u00ab\u00a0The criminalization and banning of cannabis is an instrument of racist and colonial policy,\u00a0\u00bb Ocasio-Cortez said in a post on Twitter. \u00ab\u00a0The IOC should reconsider its suspension of Ms. Richardson and any athletes penalized for cannabis use.\u00a0\u00bb The lawmaker’s call was echoed by drug policy reformers. \u00ab\u00a0In 2021, at a time when marijuana use is legally accepted in a growing number of US states and around the world, it makes exactly zero sense for regulators to continue to take punitive actions against athletes like Sha’Carri Richardson or anyone else who chooses to consume cannabis in their off-hours,\u00a0\u00bb Erik Altieri, executive director of the advocacy group NORML, said in a statement. The move to ban Richardson is the latest in a string of decisions by those running the Olympic games that have been decried as prejudiced.<\/p>\n