US Long Jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall Stripped of National Title after Testing Positive for Cannabis

In an unfortunate turn of events, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that American long jumper, Tara Davis-Woodhall would be stripped of her national indoor title and given a one-month suspension after testing positive for THC, the psychoactive component in Cannabis.  The test was collected after she won the title with a jump of 6.99 meters at the 2023 USA Track and Field Indoor Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 17.

Despite the ever-changing landscape and acceptance of cannabis in professional sports, it remains prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and is on the list of banned substances for athletes competing internationally.  The use of cannabis is considered a violation of the anti-doping rules as it is believed to have performance-enhancing effects such as reducing anxiety and increasing focus.

As we have seen throughout history, athletes who test positive for a banned substance may face consequences such as suspension, disqualification, or loss of medals and titles. WADA rules stipulate that a suspension for THC can be reduced for a shortened period if the athlete establishes that the substance was taken out of competition and unrelated to sports performance.  In the case of Tara Davis-Woodhall, USADA has reduced the suspension to one month because of the reasons mentioned and her completion of a substance abuse treatment program for her use of cannabis.

This is not the first time an athlete has been penalized for THC use, Professional Snowboarder Ross Rebagliati tested positive for Cannabis after winning Gold at the Nagano Olympics in 1998, causing an uproar of controversy and in recent years Sha’Carri Richardson was disqualified and suspended from participating in the 100m race at the Tokyo Olympics.  Despite the world shifting and professional sporting leagues adopting new policies, USADA remains a slow adopter of the plant.

The trend toward normalization is not specific to one country. Athletes around the world are taking part in a global Sports Cannabis movement to end prohibition.