Mixed Messages: Olympics Welcome Weed Ambassador Snoop Dogg After Suspending Sha’Carri Richardson Who Legally Smoked Weed
Opinion | Shannon Dawson — It is fun to watch the rapper in Paris but, I can’t stop thinking about Sha’Carri’s treatment in 2021.
Something hypocritical is up with Paris.
Snoop Dogg, our favorite Weed Ambassador, is drawing all sorts of love for his participation in the 2024 Olympics being held in the City of Lights. And no question: The 52-year-old is absolutely hilarious. Simply put, he is a bright spirit lifting the tensions and anxieties that are part of any competition, let alone one the whole world is watching; one that athletes have trained for years to participate in.
Snoop was not only there cheering on the U.S.A. Women’s Gymnastic team at the qualifier event on Monday, but also swimming with Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history. In a special segment featuring the two, Snoop tested out his “lung power” with Phelps, a thinly veiled reference to the hip-hop legend’s avid love and use of marijuana- – which few of us have any problem with.
Still, while it really is fun to watch the rapper and entrepreneur’s shenanigans (all while he’s earning that good paycheck he’s famous for getting), it’s difficult to fully appreciate the moment when considering the harsh treatment Sha’Carri Richardson faced because she also likes marijuana — and was suspended for using it nearly three years ago.
What a Difference 3 Years Make
In 2021, Richardson stunned fans by dominating the Eugene, Oregon, trials with a 100-meter dash time of 10.86 seconds. Despite the impressive performance, Richardson’s win was invalidated because it was found that she tested positive for THC (cannabis), which is prohibited by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency regulations. The one-month suspension she was given as punishment, made Richardson ineligible for competition in the Tokyo Olympics.
But the real question remained: Why should weed be banned if alcohol isn’t?
Scientific American unpacked the answer in an article published three weeks after Richardson’s suspension in which Dr. Angela Bryan, a professor of a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder, argued convincingly that the World Anti-Doping Association (WADA) — from whom the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it takes its lead — “…should take a look at more current evidence and reevaluate their position.”
“[Richardson] was doing something legal in the state that she was in for reasons that, frankly, seemed perfectly understandable—to deny her the chance to compete at the highest level just seems to me absolutely ridiculous,” Bryan asserted, further arguing that “…it is unfair to apply a double standard to marijuana when alcohol—a substance that is not included in WADA’s prohibited list—has similar, if not worse, adverse effects…[and that alcohol] is…far riskier in cannabis use for health, in terms of morbidity and mortality.”
Heartless. Period.
During a TODAY interview that year, the Dallas native revealed that she had used marijuana to cope with the sudden death of her mother a week before trials began.
“(I’m) not making an excuse or looking for any empathy in my case, but, however, being in that position in my life, finding out something like that, something that I would say is probably one of the biggest things that have impacted me … that definitely was a very heavy topic on me,” the athlete said during her emotional interview with Savannah Guthrie.
“People don’t understand what it’s like to have to … go in front of the world and put on a face and hide my pain. Who am I to tell you how to cope when you’re dealing with the pain or you’re dealing with a struggle that you haven’t experienced before or that you thought you never would have to deal with?”
Even after knowing her mother just died, the ugliness was astonishing. Who raised these kinds of people?
What’s Good for the Goose Is Good for the Gander, Right? Right?
Stay with me because I already hear your pushback, so let me address it directly.
Yes, Snoop Dogg is an entertainer, not a track and field star like Richardson. But why does he face minimal scrutiny and is also able to joke about weed during his hosting role at the Olympics when Richardson had to navigate a long redemption process to secure her spot in Paris?
Again, we’re talking about a substance that has minimal if any impact on performance when used at normal recreational levels. We’re talking about a substance that is measurably less harmful than the drug that is allowed — alcohol.
But don’t misunderstand me. This isn’t about pitting Snoop against Sha’Carri. I’m sure he was as disturbed by her suspension in 2021 as most of us were. I’d bet even more.
But the fact remains that she faced disgusting criticism and attacks during one of the most vulnerable moments in a person’s life — even as she continued to work tirelessly to regain her confidence on the track.
And that’s just not fair.
