DALLAS — The recent suspension of Dallas Carter High School graduate Sha’Carri Richardson has ignited a debate about marijuana testing in sports.
The 30-day suspension will cost the track star an opportunity to compete in the Olympics later this month even though several sports leagues have recently relaxed marijuana testing and bans by their players.
However, one argument in the debate claimed swimmer Michael Phelps was allowed to compete in the Olympics after he tested positive for marijuana.
Additionally, an Instagram post with more than 50,000 likes appears to show tweets from both Michael Phelps and snowboarder Shaun White admitting to competing while high.
THE QUESTION
Did Michael Phelps compete in the Olympics following a positive drug test?
THE SOURCE
- United States Olympic Committee
- Archived Twitter Search
THE ANSWER
FALSE: No, Michael Phelps did not compete in the Olympics following a positive drug test.
WHAT WE FOUND
Michael Phelps never tested positive for marijuana. However, he was suspended for 3 months by USA Swimming after a photograph became public showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.
But the photograph and the suspension came in February on 2009, six months after the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.
The Kellogg Company ended their sponsorship of Phelps due to the issue, but he served the 3-month suspension and returned to compete in the 2012 and 2016 games.
Also, while the Instagram post claims to show tweets from Phelps and White admitting to drug use during the games, those tweets do not actually appear anywhere on their Twitter feed or in an archived search.