The most attention-grabbing part of the Shawn Barber cocaine story is, understandably, that he tested positive for cocaine and successfully got off by claiming that the cocaine accidentally got in his system during a sexual encounter in a hotel room. But there is quite a bit more going on, per some good tweets by blogger and activist Becca Gillespy Peter:

The level of cocaine metabolites in Shawn Barber's system was higher than Inika McPherson and she got a 21 month ban. I can't even...

— Pole Vault Power (@polevaultpower) October 6, 2016

Is white male privilege an issue with doping bans? Gwen Berry vs Sam Tierney. Inika McPherson vs Shawn Barber.

— Pole Vault Power (@polevaultpower) October 6, 2016

I don't really have a problem with Barber's sentence, it highlights that McPherson's was too harsh. No ban vs 21 months for same crime

— Pole Vault Power (@polevaultpower) October 6, 2016

Pimp. M was W's pimp. W is possibly a drug addicted human trafficking victim. Did she get any help? pic.twitter.com/BQd8AUWQJn

— Pole Vault Power (@polevaultpower) October 6, 2016

The point about McPherson is a little orthogonal to why Barber got off. Unlike tennis player/cocaine kisser Richard Gasquet, Barber didn't get off because of the low amount of metabolites in his system. He got off because he claims he never ingested the cocaine. McPherson never made that claim. But she still raises a strong point, particularly in bringing up Gwen Berry and Sam Tierney.

Berry, a black woman (like McPherson) and hammer thrower, and Tierney, a white male (like Barber) swimmer, tested positive for the exact same substance: Vilanterol Trifenatate contained in an inhaler. USADA stripped Berry's American record and suspended her for three months, while giving Tierney a public warning.

Peter is also right to be skeptical about "M," a man who was in the room during Barber and the woman's sexual encounter. People don't bring "security" to unpaid, mutually consenting encounters, concert tickets notwithstanding.

Of course, none of this would be a story if cocaine wasn't very, very stupidly a banned drug in sports. It's hard to reconcile with the idea that stopping cheating in sports has anything to do with stopping athletes from taking recreational drugs.