Athletes using cannabis is the hot topic for the Tokyo Olympics following Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension after testing positive for THC. Megan Rapinoe, US Soccer player and four time Olympic Gold Medalist, spoke with Forbes magazine about adding CBD into her daily life. But the public is crying out that Rapinoe’s endorsement is “racist and sexist” against Richardson’s suspension. 

Forbes

The article sparking the controversy and outcry against Megan Rapinoe became published by the Forbes Magazine on July 21. In the article, Megan Rapinoe speaks about her use of CBD.

“CBD has become part of my all-natural recovery system that I use throughout the day to help with pain and inflammation, stabilize my mood and get better sleep,” Megan Rapinoe wrote in an email. “I use them right after training, pop in a gummy or gel capsule for pain and to calm me down, then another gummy in the afternoon to relax, then the night tincture right before bed for better sleep. It’s truly part of my entire day.”

“It’s my go-to to calm me down after a hard training or game, as well as for sleep,” she explains. 

Controversy

However, Megan Rapinoe isn’t ignorant to her praise for CBD use while Sha’Carri Richardson received a suspension. “We’re expected to perform on the biggest stages and highest levels, yet we can’t use all-natural products to help us recover,” Megan Rapinoe wrote. “It’s not right, and these policies need to be changed to reflect where our culture is.”

Even outside of sports, Megan Rapinoe wrote about the need for cannabis reform and law changes. “The societal effect in terms of social justice that weed has had on this country is just absurd,” Megan Rapinoe wrote. “There are so many, mostly Black and Brown, people sitting in jail for 10 or 20-plus years for weed, and it’s completely unnecessary. From a social perspective, we’re long overdue for the legalization of cannabis.”

Public Outcry

Following the Forbes Magazine article publication, several people took to Twitter to express their outcry. Megan Rapinoe can openly discuss her CBD use but Richardson can’t compete following a positive THC test. “They disqualified Sha’Carri Richardson for testing positive for marijuana, but have these two white women promoting it and talking about using it to help them as athletes,” one user wrote.

“White supremacy is banning Sha’Carri Richardson for smoking weed while Megan Rapinoe gets praised for her use of CBD. Highly reminiscent of how crack cocaine is infinitely more heavily criminalized than powder cocaine to ensure the disproportionate incarceration of Black people,” another user said. 

“So…the olympics can disqualify Sha’Carri Richardson for smoking cannabis under the guise of it being a performance enhancing drug, but ya throw a couple white folks advertising cannabis and not a fucking peep but an article in forbes?” a user cried out. 

Rules

Just like Sha’Carri Richardson, Megan Rapinoe isn’t breaking any laws. CBD is no longer a banned substance by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and hasn’t been since September 2017. There are several other CBD ambassadors that are currently competing in the Tokyo Olympics. Those ambassadors include softball outfielder Hayley McCleney, Hurdler Devon Allen, and Megan Rapinoe’s fiance, WNBA player Sue Bird. 

However, Japan has strict anti-cannabis laws in place. Athletes can’t bring their CBD products to the games. 

Beyond Megan Rapinoe, the WADA says the US is to blame for strict cannabis punishments for athletes. The US worked to convince the organization into putting cannabis on the banned substance list in the 1990s. While the rules haven’t been updated for cannabis use, players can use CBD. CBD can help athletes recover from workouts and get better sleep. 

Future

Moving forward, it may take a while for cannabis laws to change in sports internationally. But change has already happened since CBD is an approved substance. The world is sad Sha’Carri Richardson can’t compete in this year’s Tokyo Olympics. However, she will continue to compete and train until she can return to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Maybe, cannabis laws will change and no more athletes will receive punishment for its use. 

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