Did Michael Phelps Test Positive for Marijuana and Still Compete in Olympics?

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. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for even testing for a drug that is now legal in many states and is being used as medication with increased frequency, others drew a comparison between Richardson and another Olympic athlete, Michael Phelps, who was supposedly allowed to compete despite also testing positive for marijuana.

But Phelps did not test positive for marijuana. 

This rumor is based on a controversy from 2009 when a photograph emerged that showed Phelps smoking marijuana. The Olympic swimmer did not, however, test positive for the drug. It should also be noted that this photograph was taken at a party in November 2008, several months after the 2008 Olympic games had finished.