U.S. long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall has been stripped of her national title after being punished for a positive cannabis test showing THC in her system, the psychoactive component of cannabis.
Davis-Woodhall tested positive for the substance in a sample collected on February 17th with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announcing the ban retroactively.
The athlete had competed at the indoor national championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico where she won the long jump title with a jump of 6.99 metres. However, a sample that was tested was over the limit for THC according to the USADA rules.
Davis-Woodhall has already served the suspension she has received as punishment, which was reduced because the cannabis was found not to be for competition purposes, and she has completed a substance abuse program.
Davis-Woodhall is not the first American athlete to find themselves in hot water after American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was banned from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo for a positive cannabis test.
While Richardson was banned for cannabis, Megan Rapinoe was promoting CBD use, which critics have pointed to as hypocrisy and there have also been suggestions of racism.
The issue of cannabis and sport in America is a complex situation now that cannabis is legal in many states throughout the nation.
Both the NBA and NFL have recently updated their rules to on cannabis. The NBA has removed cannabis testing and the NFL players are now subject to one cannabis test at the start of the year. If they do test positive, they face no suspension but could face a fine.
