MJ moment

The head of the international track and field organization World Athletics has joined the choir of sports officials who are calling for an reevaluation of marijuana penalties for Olympic athletes following the suspension of U.S. runner Sha'Carri Richardson over a positive cannabis test. Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics and a Olympics gold medal-winning runner himself, lamented the suspension and said it's "sensible" for the governing bodies to take another look at the marijuana ban for athletes. "Nothing is set in tablets of stone," he said, according to The Associated Press. "You adapt and occasionally reassess." But while he said that Richardson's punishment means "we have lost an outstanding talent," he still said that the rules were properly enforced, even if those rules should change. "I don't want to sound like Joe Biden, but the rules are the rules and that is the way they have been interpreted," he said, referencing comments the president made this month similarly expressing disappointment over the decision to suspend the star runner. "It's not an unreasonable moment to have a review" of the international marijuana policy, Coe said. According to Reuters, the official added that he has spoken to the chairman of the Athletics Integrity Unit about undertaking a formal review of current policies. Coe is far from alone in saying it's time to reconsider cannabis penalties in sports. Athletics officials and lawmakers alike have argued that Richardson's suspension for using marijuana in a legal state after learning of her mother's death highlights the need for reform. Edwin Moses, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner for track and field, and emeritus chair of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), appeared before a congressional panel co-chaired by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) last week and said the runner's punishment was "heartbreaking" and his organization has "always been…

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Source : Another Top Global Sports Official Suggests Marijuana Penalties For Athletes Should Be Reevaluated

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