References: ‘Mindless.’ ‘Tragic.’ ‘Draconian.’ ‘Unfair’ — Cannabis experts slam suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson – The Boston Globe; AOC Urges Anti-Doping Agency to End Sha’Carri Richardson Suspension, Says Decision Rooted in ‘Racism’ (msn.com)
Whether it is right or wrong that cannabis is illegal under United States federal law and a banned substance under international competition rules, that is not the point when someone is barred from competition for breaking such rules. The most recent case in point is American track star Sha’Carri Richardson, who it seems is a pretty fabulous sprinter. She recently qualified for the U. S. Olympics team in the 100-yard dash. However, a short time later she was disqualified because THC showed up in her post-race drug testing. She is black, which should tell you how this story went; had she been white, this would not have been a story.
Cue the woke mob. “On Friday, a chorus of physicians, athletes, and policy advocates who specialize in marijuana denounced USA Track and Field’s one-month suspension of American track star Sha’Carri Richardson, who tested positive for THC metabolites after smoking pot to cope with the recent death of her biological mother.”
And of course the one-note Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, urged the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to end the suspension of Ms. Richardson. According to her, any prohibition on the use of pot is racist. Of course it is. How do we know? AOC said so:
“We worked with @RepRaskin and the Subcommittee on Civil Rights & Civil Liberties to formally ask @USAntiDoping to end Sha’Carri Richardson’s suspension,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, sharing screenshots of the letter. “Their decision lacks any scientific basis. It’s rooted solely in the systemic racism that’s long driven anti-marijuana laws.” She also noted, as though it made any sense, that “[n]ot to mention, marijuana is legal in Oregon where Ms. Richardson was when she used it.”
Well, we have a hard time believing that the bodies who regulate national and international sports give a hoot what is or is not legal in one of America’s 50 states. To Ms. Richardson’s credit, she didn’t whine about it or claim racism, but accepted responsibility and the modest suspension imposed, even though it meant no Olympics for her. Notably, and sadly for all of us, not once in the articles cited above did anyone even suggest that Ms. Richardson bore even some personal responsibility for smoking pot against the rules and getting caught. (Actually, absent the race part, this is the same issue as the airlines now face with mask mandates and kicking off uncooperative passengers who had already agreed to wear a mask when they bought their tickets).
While everyone can appreciate the angst of a parent’s recent demise, the fact is she knew exactly what she was doing, knew pot was banned under the rules that she understood perfectly well, and used it anyway, and she hasn’t tried to run from her own personal responsibility, even though all the loudmouths squawking in her support attempt mightily to dismiss her own responsibility by simply omitting any reference to it. To them, as the eminent Congresswoman maintains, personal responsibility does not matter when it involves something “rooted solely in the systemic racism that’s long driven anti-marijuana laws.”
Put another way, anyone subject to “systemic racism” is simply not responsible for his or her own actions or situations and in such cases, even though he or she knowingly violated the rules, he or she should get a mulligan, or two, or three, just because she’s black. We respectfully suggest that the Congresswoman should take her cue not from her woke buddies, but from Ms. Richardson herself and how she has handled herself through this. It sounds to us like the eminent Congresswoman has had a few too many tokes herself over the years and she should start to think about cutting back. She also should find some new friends.