Pubdate: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2004 The Sacramento Bee Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Author: Tim Casey Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/testing.htm (Drug Testing) DRUG TESTING TOO COSTLY FOR MOST DISTRICTS With baseball under siege over a widening drug scandal and other professional and college sports facing continued scrutiny about illegal performance-enhancing substances and tainted records, it was only a matter of time before the issue reached the high schools. At a March 25 hearing, state Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, convened a panel of athletes, coaches, educators and health officials to discuss the increasing number of high school athletes using illegal performance-enhancement drugs and legal dietary supplements such as creatine. The group, including former 49ers coach Bill Walsh and Del Oro High School quarterback Kevin Will, discussed the potential problems associated with the drugs and supplements and listened to opinions about how those problems can be countered. Among the suggestions: prohibiting the sale of supplements to minors, launching a campaign to educate students and coaches, requiring advertisers to provide scientific proof their products are safe and implementing random drug testing. But it's a long process before any of the recommendations could be implemented. In the next week or two, Speier will have meetings and amend the spot bill (SB 1444) with her recommendations. The bill must then be heard in a policy committee and possibly a fiscal committee and pass through the state Senate and Assembly. The legislature then must have the bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger by Aug. 31. "We need to address this issue head-on," said Tracy Fairchild, Speier's communications director. "Some people are using these drugs, and it's got to be seen as cheating and bad for their health. There's so much that needs to be done. It's just, 'What can we do?' " Because of budget cuts and high costs, drug testing of California's nearly 700,000 student-athletes does not seem feasible, according to CIF assistant executive director Roger Blake. Blake, who spoke at Speier's hearing, said no schools in California test for performance-enhancing drugs, and only 12 to 13 percent of schools in the United States test for controlled substances such as marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines. In the Sacramento area, only Dixon High tests for controlled substances, and only among its athletes. Dixon athletic director Tom Crumpacker said four to five athletes are randomly tested each week through urinalysis for amphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, opiates and PCP. Crumpacker said the program costs $5,000 to $7,000 annually. A CIF bylaw recommends schools have a policy regarding anabolic steroids and performance-enhancing drugs, and the California Education Code encourages schools to provide instruction in grades 7 through 12. But neither is mandatory. Blake suggests the CIF and state educate coaches about the effects of performance-enhancing drugs. Once they learn the benefits and risks, coaches can provide their athletes with valuable information. >From September 1998 to November 2001, the CIF sponsored training of more than 10,000 coaches, which included drug education. But the program that was paid for by the state was then cut. Now school districts must pay for the program, and several, including San Juan Unified, have dropped it, according to Blake. Terry Rasmussen, program specialist in athletics for the San Juan district, said the district started a new program this year. All non-credentialed coaches are required to take a one-day coaching education class. In the four-hour class that costs coaches $20, they spend 20 to 30 minutes discussing nutritional issues, including the effects of performance-enhancing drugs and supplements. On its Web site (www.cifstate.org), the CIF has 84 health and safety bulletins educating coaches and players on an array of topics, including performance-enhancing drugs. The CIF also mails a copy of the bulletins to every school. As with Blake and Rasmussen, Sac-Joaquin Section Commissioner Pete Saco would love to see the state and CIF become more stringent and receive more money for testing and education. He's also realistic. "I'm for (drug testing), but where are you going to get the resources?" Saco said. "Then you're talking about, Are they going to do it for all athletes? What about the cheerleading team or the debate team? You're going to have a lot of lawsuits in court. It's going to be tough to legislate." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin