Transcript Drug Testing

Drug Testing in Sports
Chapter 17
Pharmacology
Drug Abuse in Sports
The history of taking drugs to improve
performance dates back to World War II
when German soldiers were given
steroids to increase their strength and
aggression.
Athletes take drugs
By purpose
Accidentally
Self-Administration
Couch Advice
Doctors
Quacks
Paramed
What is Drug Testing?
Drug testing generically refers to the
analysis of bodily tissues or fluids to
determine the presence and/or
concentration of a particular
substance
 Drug Testing vs. Drug Screening
• Drug Screening is the qualitative analysis of body
tissue or fluid to broadly determine the presence of
particular substances
• Drug Testing in the most precise sense refers to
quantitative analysis of bodily tissues or fluids to
determine concentrations of particular substances
History of Drug Testing
 First drug testing was for alcohol during prohibition
 Another early use of drug testing was in sports
First used to detect if horses were being given morphine
thought to be a performance enhancer
Human athletes were being tested by the 1960’s
 The military began testing during the Vietnam war.
However systematic testing did not begin until the
1980’s
 Private industry began drug testing of employees in
the 1980’s
Practice became widespread following Executive Order
#12564, by President Reagan, establishing Drug Free
Work Place
Examples of Athletes using
drugs
Ben Johnson:
The American 100-meter gold medal winner was
disqualified in Seoul Olympics 1988 due to
Stanozolol abuse. Then lifetime ban in 1993 due to
Testosterone abuse.
Examples of Athletes using
drugs
Ronnie O'Sullivan:
The British snooker player has forfeited
prize money of $100,000 after a positive
test for cannabis.
Examples of Athletes using
drugs
Dieter Binus:
Accused of causing bodily harm to
female East German swimmers by
giving them anabolic steroids.
Effectiveness of Drug Testing
 Difficult to evaluate effectiveness because of
multiplicity of goals of drug testing:
Identification of drug users in an organization
Deterrence of drug use
Improvement of worker morale
Increased productivity
Decreased workplace accidents
Overall cost-effectiveness
Controversies Surrounding Drug
Testing
 Reliability of Drug Testing
Great potential for false positives, particularly on
EMIT
Most drug tests do not measure current level of drug
use/impairment
 Constitutionality of Drug Testing
Violation of Fourth Amendment protections?
Violation of Fifth Amendment protections?
Violation of Fourteenth Amendment protections?
Drug Testing
NCAA goals of drug testing programs:
Promote fair and equitable competition
Compete on a “level playing field”
No athlete should feel pressured to consume drugs
to have a chance to win
Safeguard the health and safety of athletes by
discouraging drug use through testing
Hope of athletes using drugs to be caught so they
can be counseled and receive treatment
What is being testing during a drug
test?
A list of banned drugs have been
established by NCAA and an Olympic
Committee.
These lists are composed of substances that
are generally reported to be performance
enhancing and/or potentially harmful to the
health and safety of the student athlete
Selection of Athlete
Random selection of athlete by sport
Random selection of athlete by position
Random selection of athlete by playing
time or finish position
Random selection of athlete by financial
aid status
Random timing-no notice
Reasonable suspicion
Methods of Drug Testing
 Breath tests
 Used exclusively for alcohol
 Least invasive
 Blood, urine, saliva test
 Testing of these 3 body fluids involves same basic
technology
 Problems identified with all 3
 Hair analysis
 Can preserve record of drug use for an indefinite
period of time
 Also because of the way hair grows, can determine
approximately when drugs were taken (within
about a month)
 More precise determination, however, is not
possible
Drug Testing Methods
 Urinalysis is most common method
 Enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique
(EMIT):
Light absorption to establish level of drugs present in
urine
 Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS):
EMIT positive tests must be followed up by GC-MS
Separates compounds in urine and developing
fingerprints for each compound.
Drug Testing Methods Cont.
Athletes will be observed by a drug testing
crew member of the same gender
Length of collection process depends on
the athlete’s ability to provide adequate
specimen
Entire process is usually completed in 20 mins.
Can large amt. of fluids mask drug
test?
NO!!
NCAA requires athlete’s urine sample to
be analyzed on site before sending to
lab
Diluted specimen- athlete will be
required to remain in drug testing until
an adequate specimen is collected
NFL Drug Testing
NFL tests for recreational drugs
Athletes given specified date and plenty of
advanced warning
Positive tests athlete is given a second chance
before suspension
League treats recreational drug use as a
medical issue and wants to get athlete help
NFL Drug Testing Cont.
Steroid Testing
Random testing given each week
Computer randomly selects the athlete
1st positive test, athlete suspended for four games
2nd positive test, suspended for six games
3rd positive test, suspended for at least one year
NFL Drug Testing Cont.
Testing for masking agents
If athlete tries to pass a drug test using these
agents, they are suspended, even if a steroid is
not detected
NBA Drug Testing
Notification during practice on the day of
testing that they must provide a urine
sample
Everyone will be tested at least once during the
four week preseason…
rookies will be tested three more times, randomly and
without notification each season
Veterans will be tested during preseason only
NBA Positive Testing Results
Positive tests for cocaine, heroin or other
“hard drugs” will be barred from the NBA
for two years
Positive tests for marijuana will go into a
treatment program after the first offense
2nd offense they will be fined
Additional offenses will lead to more fines and
subsequent suspension
MLB Drug Testing
Players undergo two unannounced test
An initial test and a follow-up five to seven days
later
Failing to take test counts as a positive test, as
will attempting to alter a specimen or using a
masking agent
Banned substances are those listed by the FDA
Includes 27 types of steroids
High School Drug Testing
Consent form must be signed by athlete
and parent/guardian prior to season
If athlete refuses they may not participate that
season
Incoming athletes during a season must sign
consent before participating
High School Cont.
Drug Testing:
Done without prior warning to student
Positive tests-Medical Review Officer must
contact parents/guardian and school admin.
This results in immediate dismissal from team
• If not currently participating in sport, then the student
shall be required to miss the entire season for the next
sport in which the student normally participates in.
Required to undergo drug counseling
2nd violation-permanently prohibited from
participating in sports