Even though there’s a growing acceptance of the recreational and medicinal use of cannabis, there’s still a lingering stigma. Unfortunately, that meant that Sha’Carri Richardson, the fastest woman in the United States, wouldn’t be allowed to participate in the 2021 Olympics. Last week, she was met with an overwhelming amount of support when she was hit with a 30-day suspension after she tested positive for marijuana.
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While many had hope that she would end up participating in the Olympics in some sort of capacity, the USATF announced that she would not be included on the 4 x 100 relay team. “So while our heartfelt understanding lies with Sha’Carri, we must also maintain fairness for all of the athletes who attempted to realize their dreams by securing a place on the US Olympic Track & Field Team,” they said in a letter.
TMZ recently caught up with Richardson at LAX where they got her response to being left off of the US Olympic track team. She ultimately shrugged it off, saying that she’s doing “fine” after the news emerged. “I understand the situation that’s going on. So, I’m accepting of it, and I just know what I have to do moving forward in my career,” she said.
“Honestly, that news didn’t bother me because me and my team were realistic, so we kind of figured that they would say that in the first place,” she said in response to the USTAF’s decision.
Check out Richardson’s response below.