The outpouring of support for U.S. Olympic track star, Sha’Carri Richardson in the wake of her suspension from the Olympics after a positive test for marijuana may indicate the tipping point in the debate over whether athletes should be allowed to smoke or ingest pot.
After she tested positive for marijuana use, Sha’Carri Richardson admitted that she smoked pot in the state of Oregon, where recreational use of pot is legal, to cope with her distress over the death of her biological mother. Richardson accepted responsibility for her mistake.
But it is the reason that Richardson smoked pot that seems to have caused a reassessment of the ban on athletes using marijuana. Since Richardson used pot to help her deal with a personal tragedy, possibly in place of chemicals like Xanax, the questions about the strict ban on athletes using pot have come into the public spotlight.
It is understandable why athletes are not allowed to take performance-enhancing drugs because it could give them an unfair and artificial advantage in a sport. I can only personally reference my experience with smoking pot from the distant past and I will admit that I have not experienced the effects of modern-day marijuana. My recollection of using pot is a very relaxed state-of-being and nothing that would suggest I would be able to reach an increased level of performing a sport.
The website, MuscleandFitness.com interviewed experts in medicine, fitness, and the marijuana industry, to find a consensus about the benefits and the risks of athletes using pot. Here’s what the report revealed:
Benefit: Reduce muscle and joint inflammation.
Benefit: Reduce pain.
Benefit: Treat muscle spasms.
