The suspension of Olympic hopeful Sha'Carri Richardson over a positive marijuana test has sparked comparisons with other Olympic athletes who have also used the drug.

A Facebook post aims to compare Richardson and now-retired Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, who won 28 medals.

"Michael Phelps smoked weed, kept all his medals and still participated in the Olympics. Don't y'all start this mess with Sha'Carri," the post reads.

Shared on July 2, the post has been shared over 7,000 times. 

The saga of Sha’Carri Richardson—the fastest woman in the United States, banned from competing in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics after a drug test revealed she used cannabis last month—has united America in a way that COVID-19 could not. 

The Olympic Games in Tokyo are doomed. Before the opening ceremony, before even the torch is lit, it’s not going to be OK. The Games, I’m afraid, just aren’t woke enough. Apologies to Tokyo and Japan — and #StopAsianHate and so on. But for the international left, sport no longer matters unless it can be used to win on Twitter and advance the War for Progress. 

What would have happened if Sha’Carri Richardson were suspended from the Olympics for marijuana use in the 1980s?

In July 2021, American track and field star Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended for one month and disqualified from the 2021 Olympic Games after she tested positive for THC, a psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. While many social media users criticized the U.S.

New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed Friday the rule barring marijuana use during the Olympic races was an "instrument of racist and colonial policy." 

The congresswoman’s comments followed the announcement that U.S. champion Sha’Carri Richardson will not be running in the 100-meter race after she tested positive for THC, a chemical found in marijuana, at the Olympic trials – voiding her first-place results.

American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who was set to be a breakout star at the Olympic Games later this month, has tested positive for marijuana, putting her participation in the Tokyo games in doubt. The 21-year-old, sporting bright orange hair and an electric personality, roared to victory in the women’s 100-meter sprint at the U.S. Olympic trials, making her a fan favorite as well as a favorite to win gold.