Articles/Media
September 16, 2016 - The Two States Testing HS Athletes For Steroids Turn Up Few Positives, USA Today High School Sports
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March 27, 2015 - You know your drug testing program fails when you see an article entitled, Why did Texas Blow $10 Million To Catch 40 High School Steroid Users by Jack Moore, Vicesports.com.
July 22, 2014 - Partnership For Drug-Free Kids Finds Teen HGH Use Doubles In 2013. 11 percent of teenagers reported using synthetic HGH at least once. Teen use of Steroids jumped from 5 percent to 7 percent. Click here for details.
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Minneapolis, MN - November 19, 2012 - Minnesota Study: One In Twenty Teens Have Used Steroids! See One In 20 Youth Have Used Steroids To Bulk Up: Study, Reuters Health by Genevra Pittman
Milford, PA - September 23, 2012 - In Milford, middle school athletes are drug tested. The lawsuits are flying. It's the latest front of a long battle between privacy rights and the right of the State to have an orderly and well regulated school environment. In the past schools have won this battle, as the Constitutional right to drug-test student athletes is well established. But, will there be an exception for kids this young? Time will tell and the lawyers are fast at work. For more, see Middle Schools Add A Team Rule: Get A Drug Test by Mary Pilon, New York Times, September 23, 2012.
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Slidell, LA - August 5, 2010 - The New Orleans Times-Picayune Won A Legal Battle to Get Test Results on Jason Chighizola. The results confirmed that Chighizola tested positive for steroids in 2008 when he beat a rival coach to a bloody pulp following a baseball game in a 8-year-old's league. This one has it all: steroids, a coach losing it in a post-game handshake line, a grown man going nuts in a league for little children, and, yes, the two 8-year-old teams were the Yankees and the Red Sox. If it wasn't a true story, you wouldn't believe it. Chighizola was ultimately convicted of battery, and we can only hope that he never coaches anywhere again. He's a danger to us all - and to himself. See Slidell Youth Baseball Coach Who Beat Rival Coach Tested Positive For Steroids by Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, Times-Picayune, August 5, 2010.
Preston, Idaho - January 19, 2010 - The few states that had steroid testing programs have seen those programs either eliminated or decimated by budget cuts. However, the Preston, Idaho School District has instituted random drug testing of athletes. Preston isn't going after steroids, though. They're looking for marijuana, prescription and recreational drugs. It's not steroid testing, but it's also not as expensive as steroid testing. Preston estimates that it can conduct its program for $500 per year. See Preston High School Athletes Will Now Be Randomly Drug Tested, reported by Michelle Costa, Local News 8, Eastern Idaho/Western Wyoming, January 19, 2010..
Florida - February 15, 2009 - Want to know who uses steroids? See the SF Chronicle's Special Report on the customer list of a Florida wellness center that was closed for selling steroids in 2007. See The Steroid User Next Door - Who Bought and Why by Lance Williams, San Francisco Chronicle, February 15, 2009, page A-1.
Denton, Texas - October 29, 2008 - Fifteen Of 86 Football Players Test Postive For Drugs at North Texas, ESPN.com, 15 North Texas Football Players Fail Drug Test by Troy Phillips, Fort-Worth Star Telegram.
MacRoids - Just Walk In and Place Your Order. Revolution Medical Centers, an Arizona Clinic, Is Under Investigation For Illegal Steroid Sales To Walk-In Customers. See Juiced In The Valley: Inside The World of Anabolic Steroids, Reported by Josh Bernstein, ABC 15 - Phoenix, AZ, May 1, 2008; and see the follow up story New Documents Reveal Criminal Investigation Into Steroid Clinic, Reported by Josh Bernstein, ABC 15 - Phoenix, AZ, May 31, 2008. Revolution Medical Centers in News Again After Series of Deaths. See Deaths Raise new Questions About Steroids Sold at Phx Clinic by Josh Bernstein, ABC 15 Phoenix, August 13, 2008.
Roids! Can We Predict Bonds's Fate
On One Hand: Former Olympic Cyclist Tammy Thomas: What Does Her Perjury and Obstruction of Justice Conviction Mean For Bonds? Like Bonds, Thomas was granted immunity to testify about Balco. She lied and now she's convicted. Is this the first inning of the Bonds case or is the Bonds case different? Only a trial will tell! See Michael McCann's Sports and The Law Column on SI.Com. Cyclist's Trial May Foretell Bonds's Fate: Cyclist Tested Positive The Lied, Sound Familiar? April 7, 2008
On The Other Hand: Former Olympic Track Coach Trevor Graham Beat Two out of Three Counts of Lying To A Grand Jury (of course he was convicted of a misdemeanor on one count - but that would be a win for Bonds). If Bonds Ends Up Like Graham, He's A Huge Winner. See Ahead In The Count? by David Epstein, Sports Illustrated, June 9, 2008, page 26.
March 2008 - Political Scientists/Bioethicists Ring In On Steroids. For a summary see A Shot In The Rear by University of Pennsylvania Bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D, Science Progress, March 2008 (a publication and blog of the Center for American Progress). While it seems strange that there could be a debate over steroids, there are groups of people who advocate them. A number of anti-aging groups actually advocate steroids. This has led to an ethical, legal and scientific debate. It is important to note that anti-aging groups and bioethicists may wonder and debate why we're all against steroids, but they all go to great pains to point out that kids should never use steroids under any circumstances.
March 17, 2008 - For More on Steroids In and Out of Sports see, The Real Dope: It's Not Just Sports by Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, March 17, 2008 page 28.
March 17, 2008 - For an example of steroids outside of the sports world, see BioSante Pharmaceuticals Reports Product Development Highlights and 2007 Financial Results, BioSante News Release on Businesswire.com, March 17, 2008. Ultimately, the growth in above-board non-business use of steroids and the cost of testing will alter our negative views of steroids in sports unless we develop an ethical philosophy of how sports should be conducted and how athletes should comport themselves. We are not far from the day when a steroid user sues to compete on the ground that they have a handicap or disability requiring their use - in fact, we already have seen that where we allow athletes to use certain over the counter products that have low levels of steroids under certain circumstances.
Estero, FL. - February 13, 2008 - Steroids: The New High School Temptation, WBBH TV Fort Myers, FL, Feb. 13, 2008.
February 5, 2008 - Doing It The Right Way In Texas! Coach at Keller, Texas's Central High School Says Get Strong Without Steroids. See Teens Using Steroids Cheat Themselves and Their Health by Darla Atlas, Dallas Morning News, February 5, 2008.
Jan. 21, 2008 - Father Puts 13 Year Old Son on Steroids and HGH. See Sports Illustrated's Special Report, Sins of A Father by Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Werthem, Sports Illustrated, Jan. 21, 2008 page 30.
December 11, 2007 - Teen Steroid Use Down In 2007. We know that approximately 6% of high school students have used steroids. This doesn't mean that all these students are constant users. We use the annual prevalence rate to determine how many teens are using steroids in the past year. That number will, of course, be lower than the 6% lifetime user rate. Physorg.com reports that the annual prevalence rate dropped in 2007. See Overall, Illicit Drug Use b American Teens Continues Gradual Decline in 2007, physorg.com, Dec. 11, 2007.
Tampa, FL - August 28, 2007 - Tampa Man Gave Steroids To Skating Son, St. Petersburg Times, August 28, 2007 (we know that there are kids using steroids but we don't commonly think of parents giving them to their kids to make the kids better in-line skaters)
C.W. Nevius, Impact of Steroids Felt Across High School Sports, San Francisco Chronicle, September 20, 2006, page A-14.
Company Hired For Steroid Testing: NJSIAA Prepares For First Year of Random Drug Tests On High School Athletes In Tournaments by Sam Carchidi, Philadelphia Inquirer, September 14, 2006.
Steroid Testing Procedure Made Known by Gregory Schutta, North Jersey Herald News, September 14, 2006.
Texas - See the Dallas Morning News's Groundbreaking Report on Steroids in Texas: The Secret Edge: Steroids In High Schools by Gregg Jones and Gary Jacobson, Dallas Morning News, May 27, 2005.
Rocklin, CA - 2005 - School Tackles Alarming Subject: Steroid Use, by David Leon Moore, USA Today, May 24, 2005.
2005 - Want The Facts On High School Steroid Use? Click Here For Steroid Use In High School, National Center for Drug Free Sport.
60 Minutes Covers the Taylor Hooton Story, March 2004.
Sports Genes & Genetic Testing
May 17, 2010 - See Sports Genes by David Epstein, Sports Illustrated, May 17, 2010 page 53 (the latest in how genetics impacts performance).
Steroid users take the body they're born with and use drugs to make it better. Still, the steroid user has no guarantee of success and has an increased risk of some very negative physical, mental and psychological problems. This is terribly inefficient. What if you could find out what sport your body was best suited for? Now, you can be more efficient because you know what sports to pursue. That's the premise of Atlas Sports Genetics. For prices as low as $150 you can have genetic testing done on your ACTN3 gene and find out if you're genetically predisposed to sprint/power sports or endurance sports. Now, you're getting efficient. Does this sound like, well..., a bit much? Not to a whole lot of parents. See Born To Run? Little Ones Get Test For Sports Gene by Juliet Macur, New York Times, November 29, 2008.
Legal Information
Drug Testing - For the legal basis of it all see Vernonia v. Acton, 515 U.S. 646 (1995) (random suspicionless drug testing of athletes is constitutional on grounds that government's interest in drug free schools outweighs students fourth amendment rights). Click here for more on student-athlete drug testing and the law
Supplement Information
November 4, 2017 - San Mateo, CA - We've discussed the potential harm of energy drink consumption for years in high school sports. But, the modern student may have moved well beyond energy drinks. Carlmont High School junior, Talia Fine notes that today's student-athlete can take "workout drinks, gel pods, pills, energy shots and, in more extreme cases, concentrated caffeine powder that can be snorted, yielding a quicker rush..." Houston, we've got a problem. Adults are still debating how to handle energy drinks, and today's student-athlete is using gel pods. We've got some catching up to do. See Student-Athletes Taking Caffeine For Performance, reported by Talia Fine, San Mateo Daily Journal.
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September 24, 2010 - Virginia - Virginia becomes first State to ban energy drinks at high school sports practices and games. See Energy Drinks Banned From High School Practices and Games, reported by Chip Knighton, Charlottesville (VA) Daily Progress, September 24, 2010.
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September and October, 2009 - Quercetin: The new wonder drug. In the never-ending search for performance-enhancers, the supplement industry has come up with a new super supplement. But is it really as good as they say? See Popular Supplement Quercetin Does Not Enhance Athletic Performance, Study Finds, Science Daily, September 4, 2009; and Phys Ed: Is Quercetin Really A Wonder Sports Supplement? by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times Health Blog, October 7, 2009.
May 2009 - See SI's Special Report on Supplements: What You Don't Know Might Kill You by David Epstein and George Dohrmann, Sports Illustrated, May 18, 2009, page 54.
High School Sports Steroid News
March 23, 2015 - Texas Legislature Appears Ready To Cut Steroid Testing Program. See Texas Lawmakers Prepared To Pull Funding For $10 Million Steroid Testing System For High School Athletes, Associated Press Story in New York Daily News, March 23, 2015; and Texas Ready to Dump High School Steroids Testing Program, Texomashomepage.com, March 20, 2015. Texas had a very poor return on their testing investment. The AP reported that in the 2013-2014 school year, Texas tested 2,633 students and caught two. They spent approximately $500,000 on their testing program that year. They simply can't justify the expense.
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August 2011 - IHSA Board Votes To Keep Steroid Testing Alive in Illinois - First Two Violations In 2010. See Illinois To Keep Testing High School Athletes For Steroids by Michael Popke, Athletic Business, August 8, 2011. Illinois has run its program since 2008. They've tested 1,758 students and had two violations, both in the 2010-11 school year. I estimate that Illinois is spending $200 per test, which would mean that Illinois has spent $351,600 on its program. In a tough economy, it will be tough for Illinois to continue its program. Everyone will agree that the deterrent effect is valuable, and that the message is important. The problem is that there have only been two positives and there's no way to prove how many people would be caught without the program. Eventually, Illinois, Texas and New Jersey will all be asked whether there's a more efficient way to get the anti-steroid message out. They will either make a compelling case for continued testing, go to random testing at championships (which will substantially reduce costs), or go to a California style system with lots of education and required student anti-steroid forms.
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March 2010 - New Jersey Expands Steroid Program: Bill to supplement steroid testing with increased education moves forward. New Jersey is one of the only states with a high school steroid testing program. They are taking an even stronger stand now. See N.J. Senate Approves Bill To Expand High School Steroid Education by Matthew Stanmyre, Newark Star-Ledger, March 11, 2010.
August 2009 - Texas Steroid Program: Alive, but budget slashed to $1,000,000. See Success of Prep Steroid Testing Program Debated by Matt Peterson, Dallas Morning News, August 23, 2009. Illinois Program Increases Its Budget to $150,000 - Illinois Tested 700 Athletes Last Year. See Prep Football Notes: State Will Expand On IHSA Drug Testing, Peoria Journal Star, August 15, 2009.
May 2009 - Budget Cuts Decimate Texas Steroid Testing Program. When you only have 11 positive tests and you're spending $6 million a year, you know your testing program is going to get cut. See Texas Lawmakers Agree To Slash Steroid Testing, CBSTV11.com, May 12, 2009.
February 2009 - Budget Cuts Kill High School Steroid Testing Program by Sarah Larimer, South Florida Sun Sentinel, February 17, 2009. Now only New Jersey, Texas and Illinois have high school testing programs.
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October 2008 - USADA Launches My Victory Anti-Steroid Campaign - While State High School Testing Is Under Fire As Not Being Cost-Effective. See States' Testing Programs Finding Few Offenders by A.J. Perez, USA Today, July 24, 2008. Of course, the steroid industry has its own sites, too. Click here for an example and click here for more. The bad guys are winning this battle! They have to. The good guys have fear, morality, inspiration and deterrence, but the bad guys have the profit motive.
July 24, 2008 - Mixed news, two views on prep steroid use by A.J. Perez and Brady Adymond, USA Today, July 24, 2008 page 1C. High school steroid testing hasn't caught many people, but we know they're out there in light of the big Louisiana high school steroid bust on July 22nd.
July 23, 2008 - Louisiana - While Texas and Florida discuss eliminating their steroid testing program because they don't catch many people, we are reminded what happens when there is no testing. A number of high school players were just caught in a Louisiana bust of a steroid ring. The high school's coaches had nary a clue that their boys took steroids - and quite a bit of steroids I might add. See Steroids Bust Shocks Coaches by Brady Aymond, Louisiana's TheAdvertiser.Com, July 23, 2008; and St. Landry Parish Officials Expose Steroids Ring; Join The Discussion by Shay Randle, Louisiana's TheAdvertiser.Com, July 23, 2008.
February 5, 2008 - MSNBC Covers National Survey of Steroid Use: See Q & A: Impact of Steroids On Young Athletes: Dr. Edward V. Craig Explains Dangers of Performance-Enhancing Drugs, MSNBC.com, February 5, 2008; Kids On Steroids Willing To Risk It All For Success by Jacqueline Stenson, MSNBC.com, February 5, 2008.
December 20, 2007 - Texas Is Getting Ready for what the Houston Chronicle describes as the "largest steroid testing program in the world." Texas's protocol was not ready in time for 2007's football season, but the protocol for testing should be ready in the next few months. Texas has already prepared valuable material, including an excellent model parent consent for steroid testing form and the anti-steroid video, "The Making of A Champion." For a recent report on Texas's progress, See UIL Spells Out Steroid Tests, by Gary Scharrer, San Antonio Express-News, Nov. 29, 2007.
December 6, 2007 - STILL THINK YOUR KID SHOULD USE MUSCLE BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS? THINK AGAIN! Informed Choice and HFL Labs' Study Finds 25% of All Supplements Are Contaminated With Trace Amounts of Steroids. Click Here For Informed Choice Press Release and Click Here For HFL Lab's Study. Click Here for USA Today's Coverage - Study Finds Steroids, Illegal Stimulants In Supplements by A.J. Perez, USA Today, December 5, 2007.
Massachusetts - July 8, 2007 - For a comprehensive report on high school steroid legislation and the economic and political difficulties raised by steroid testing, see, States Find Difficulty Imposing High School Steroid Tests by Eddie Pells, South Coast Today, July 8, 2007.
Tallahassee, FL - June 19, 2007 - Florida High School Steroid Testing: Governor Signs Bill For High-School Steroid Testing by Bill Cotterell, Florida Capital News.Com, June 20, 2007. The Florida Bill is a one year pilot. Click here for the Bill's text and click here for the Florida exemption to the public records act designed to protect the tested students' privacy. Florida joins Texas and New Jersey as the three states that will test for steroids in the 2007-08 academic year.
Austin, Texas - June 16, 2007, Perry Signs UIL Steroid-Testing Law by Jake Trotter, Waco Tribune, June 16, 2007. The Texas plan is the most comprehensive steroid-testing progam in the nation at the high school level. The legislature put their money where their mouth is, setting aside $3 million for testing. Approximately 20,000 of Texas's over 700,000 student-athletes will be tested. Tests will be conducted on students from approximately 30% of Texas's public high schools.
Dallas, Texas - May 29, 2007 - Hooton: Texas Can Have Model Bill In Steroids Fight by John O'Rourke, Dallas Morning News, May 29, 2007 (the Texas Bill that Don Hooton praised on May 29th passed on June 15th. Don Hooton says this Bill is the model high school steroids testing Bill). Note: Don Hooton is one of the leading anti-steroid advocates in America. For more on Don Hooton and his anti-steroid work click on this link to the Taylor Hooton Foundation.
Sacramento, CA - April 18, 2007 - California High School Mandatory Steroid Testing Bill Voted Down By Assembly Education Committee. Will go back to Committee for re-vote. Click here for text of AB 1319.
Austin, Texas - March 6, 2007 - Senator Wants Steroid Tests For High School Athletes, News8austin.com. New Texas Bill proposes high school steroid testing. If the Bill passes, Texas would join New Jersey as a state testing select high school athletes for steroids. UPDATE: April 11, 2007 - Texas Senate OKs High School Steroid Testing by Jim Vertuno, Houston Chronicle, April 11, 2007 and High School Athletes To Face Testing for Steroids by Gary Scharrer and Clay Robison, Houston Chronicle, April 11, 2007. The steroid bill has passed the Senate and now the House has to vote on it. The House will almost certainly pass the Bill. The Bill will require approximately 3% of high school athletes to be tested. The big issue is who pays for the testing - it will cost approximately $4,000,000 per year. The Senate says have the state pay for it. The House appears to want the State High School Athletic Governing Body to foot the bill through assessments on ticket sales. For more - listen to Texas to Require Drug Tests For Young Athletes, NPR April 11, 2007.
Donald Hooton's Congressional Testimony on Steroids In Youth Sports, March 17, 2005.
High School Steroid Programs - State by State
August, 2008: Statistical Data In From Florida and Texas:
Florida steroids tests
Athletes tested: About 600
Schools: 43
Positive tests: 1
Cost: $100,000 in state money (2007-08 school year)
Testing agency: National Center for Drug Free Sport
Texas steroids tests
Athletes tested: 10,000
Positive tests: 2
Cost: $3 million annually in state money
Testing agency: National Center for Drug Free Sport
The scope of this statewide testing is extremely limited, reaching only an incredibly small percentage of a state's athletes and skewing the statistical value of the data - although one could argue about the deterrent effect. The Collier County School Board in Florida conducted its own tests, allowing them to penetrate much deeper into their athlete pool and test a much greater percentage (they tested over 10% of their student-athletes) of their sample population of student-athletes. Here are its results:
Collier County School Board recreational drug tests
Athletes tested: About 600
Schools: All seven public high schools
Positive tests: 7
Cost: $200,000 in federal grant money (over three years, 2007-10)
July, 2008 - Delaware Chooses Steroids Education: Rejects Tests. See No Steroid Testing For Delaware Athletes by Buddy Hurlock, Delaware News-Journal, July 11, 2008. For more on Delaware's decision, visit Steroid.com
Florida 2007-08 - Click Here For Florida Steroid Testing Information.
Florida 2008-09 - Florida Drops Its Steroid Testing Program - It Costs A Lot of Money and Didn't Catch A Lot of People. See States' Programs Finding Few Offenders by A.J. Perez, USA Today, July 24, 2008 page 9C. See also, Poll: State Drops Steroid Testing For High School Athletes; Collier To Continue Drug Testing For 2 Years by Adam Fisher, Naples News, August 12, 2008.
Illinois - Illinois joins Florida, New Jersey, and Texas: Will Begin Testing In State Tournaments In 2008-09. See Teen Athletes Face Drug Tests by Barry Temkin, Chicago Tribune, January 14, 2008. Click Here For IHSA Press Release of Jan. 14, 2008.
Indiana - Steroid Bill Dies In Indiana. Bill sponsor says he'll bring it back next year. See Steroid Testing Bill Dies, High School Sports Magazine (Indiana), Jan. 29, 2008. The defeat of the Indiana Bill may mark a new trend. The tests cost a lot of money, and don't catch many people. New Jersey and Florida have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in their testing programs, but have caught very few people. The question for school administrators is how many of our scarce educational resources are we willing to spend to catch an extremely small number of steroid users. These questions were raised in Indiana, and are discussed quite well in The Northwest Indiana Times's article, Proposed Steroid Bill Elicits Coaches' Concern by Steve Hanlon, January 27, 2008.
New Jersey Institutes Statewide Steroid-Testing for High School Athletes, USA Today, June 8, 2006.
New Jersey - New Jersey is the first state to implement steroid testing of high school athletes, testing a random sampling of athletes who qualify for individual and team state championships. Click here for New Jersey's steroid policy. Click here for FAQs regarding the New Jersey policy.
Texas 2007 - Click here for text of new Texas Bill proposing high school steroid testing.
Texas will be the second state requiring some form of high school testing if this Bill passes.
Click here for "The Making of A Champion", Texas's anti-steroid video.
Just Two Texas Athletes Test Positive For Steroids In Program's First Year, Associated Press Story in USA Today, July 23, 2008.
Steroid Information
Efrain Anthony Marrero Foundation. This foundation was formed in memory of Efrain Anthony Marrero, who took his life three weeks after he stopped using steroids. The Marrero Foundation provides information and resources to fight steroid use.
Informed Choice. This non-profit tests over the counter supplements to determine whether they have any tainted steroid or banned substances in them. Surprisingly, or not surprisingly considering the supplement industry's lobbying efforts, many do.
Mitchell Report on Steroids In Major League Baseball.
Monitoring The Future. MTF is a project of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. MTF studies youth attitudes toward a number of issues, including drugs and alcohol. (for a specific example, see MTF's 2006 Report on Adolescent Drug Use: Monitoring The Future: National Results On Adolescent Drug Use)
NCAA's Study of Substance Use Among College Student-Athletes. The latest survey shows that 2.1% of college athletes have tried anabolic steroids at some point in their life. Over 50% of these users started in high school.
NFHS Steroid Awareness Page (includes PSA, Steroid Awareness Video, Drug Testing Info and More).
Science Daily - This is a science publication so you'll have to enter "Steroids" in the search bar. Then you can read the latest scientific information on steroids. One of the problems with sites such as Steroid.com and isteroids.com is that they're geared to people who want to know about using steroids. Sometimes such sites can be off-putting as they immerse one in the ugly world of steroid users. Science Daily is pure science. It's not always exciting, but it's extremely credible.
Steroid.com - The latest in steroids news - and a very scary site.
Steroids and Supplements - What You Need To Know , presented by the California Interscholastic Federation.
Taylor Hooton Foundation. This foundation was formed in memory of Taylor E. Hooton, a 17-year old high school athlete who committed suicide as a result of the abuse of anabolic steroids. The foundation presents information to combat the use of steroids by our youth.
Testosterone News: Visit this site for the latest, comprehensive news on steroids and supplements.
Trusted Supplement. This blog lists the latest news on tainted supplements.
September 16, 2016 - The Two States Testing HS Athletes For Steroids Turn Up Few Positives, USA Today High School Sports
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March 27, 2015 - You know your drug testing program fails when you see an article entitled, Why did Texas Blow $10 Million To Catch 40 High School Steroid Users by Jack Moore, Vicesports.com.
July 22, 2014 - Partnership For Drug-Free Kids Finds Teen HGH Use Doubles In 2013. 11 percent of teenagers reported using synthetic HGH at least once. Teen use of Steroids jumped from 5 percent to 7 percent. Click here for details.
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Minneapolis, MN - November 19, 2012 - Minnesota Study: One In Twenty Teens Have Used Steroids! See One In 20 Youth Have Used Steroids To Bulk Up: Study, Reuters Health by Genevra Pittman
Milford, PA - September 23, 2012 - In Milford, middle school athletes are drug tested. The lawsuits are flying. It's the latest front of a long battle between privacy rights and the right of the State to have an orderly and well regulated school environment. In the past schools have won this battle, as the Constitutional right to drug-test student athletes is well established. But, will there be an exception for kids this young? Time will tell and the lawyers are fast at work. For more, see Middle Schools Add A Team Rule: Get A Drug Test by Mary Pilon, New York Times, September 23, 2012.
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Slidell, LA - August 5, 2010 - The New Orleans Times-Picayune Won A Legal Battle to Get Test Results on Jason Chighizola. The results confirmed that Chighizola tested positive for steroids in 2008 when he beat a rival coach to a bloody pulp following a baseball game in a 8-year-old's league. This one has it all: steroids, a coach losing it in a post-game handshake line, a grown man going nuts in a league for little children, and, yes, the two 8-year-old teams were the Yankees and the Red Sox. If it wasn't a true story, you wouldn't believe it. Chighizola was ultimately convicted of battery, and we can only hope that he never coaches anywhere again. He's a danger to us all - and to himself. See Slidell Youth Baseball Coach Who Beat Rival Coach Tested Positive For Steroids by Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, Times-Picayune, August 5, 2010.
Preston, Idaho - January 19, 2010 - The few states that had steroid testing programs have seen those programs either eliminated or decimated by budget cuts. However, the Preston, Idaho School District has instituted random drug testing of athletes. Preston isn't going after steroids, though. They're looking for marijuana, prescription and recreational drugs. It's not steroid testing, but it's also not as expensive as steroid testing. Preston estimates that it can conduct its program for $500 per year. See Preston High School Athletes Will Now Be Randomly Drug Tested, reported by Michelle Costa, Local News 8, Eastern Idaho/Western Wyoming, January 19, 2010..
Florida - February 15, 2009 - Want to know who uses steroids? See the SF Chronicle's Special Report on the customer list of a Florida wellness center that was closed for selling steroids in 2007. See The Steroid User Next Door - Who Bought and Why by Lance Williams, San Francisco Chronicle, February 15, 2009, page A-1.
Denton, Texas - October 29, 2008 - Fifteen Of 86 Football Players Test Postive For Drugs at North Texas, ESPN.com, 15 North Texas Football Players Fail Drug Test by Troy Phillips, Fort-Worth Star Telegram.
MacRoids - Just Walk In and Place Your Order. Revolution Medical Centers, an Arizona Clinic, Is Under Investigation For Illegal Steroid Sales To Walk-In Customers. See Juiced In The Valley: Inside The World of Anabolic Steroids, Reported by Josh Bernstein, ABC 15 - Phoenix, AZ, May 1, 2008; and see the follow up story New Documents Reveal Criminal Investigation Into Steroid Clinic, Reported by Josh Bernstein, ABC 15 - Phoenix, AZ, May 31, 2008. Revolution Medical Centers in News Again After Series of Deaths. See Deaths Raise new Questions About Steroids Sold at Phx Clinic by Josh Bernstein, ABC 15 Phoenix, August 13, 2008.
Roids! Can We Predict Bonds's Fate
On One Hand: Former Olympic Cyclist Tammy Thomas: What Does Her Perjury and Obstruction of Justice Conviction Mean For Bonds? Like Bonds, Thomas was granted immunity to testify about Balco. She lied and now she's convicted. Is this the first inning of the Bonds case or is the Bonds case different? Only a trial will tell! See Michael McCann's Sports and The Law Column on SI.Com. Cyclist's Trial May Foretell Bonds's Fate: Cyclist Tested Positive The Lied, Sound Familiar? April 7, 2008
On The Other Hand: Former Olympic Track Coach Trevor Graham Beat Two out of Three Counts of Lying To A Grand Jury (of course he was convicted of a misdemeanor on one count - but that would be a win for Bonds). If Bonds Ends Up Like Graham, He's A Huge Winner. See Ahead In The Count? by David Epstein, Sports Illustrated, June 9, 2008, page 26.
March 2008 - Political Scientists/Bioethicists Ring In On Steroids. For a summary see A Shot In The Rear by University of Pennsylvania Bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan, Ph.D, Science Progress, March 2008 (a publication and blog of the Center for American Progress). While it seems strange that there could be a debate over steroids, there are groups of people who advocate them. A number of anti-aging groups actually advocate steroids. This has led to an ethical, legal and scientific debate. It is important to note that anti-aging groups and bioethicists may wonder and debate why we're all against steroids, but they all go to great pains to point out that kids should never use steroids under any circumstances.
March 17, 2008 - For More on Steroids In and Out of Sports see, The Real Dope: It's Not Just Sports by Jack McCallum, Sports Illustrated, March 17, 2008 page 28.
March 17, 2008 - For an example of steroids outside of the sports world, see BioSante Pharmaceuticals Reports Product Development Highlights and 2007 Financial Results, BioSante News Release on Businesswire.com, March 17, 2008. Ultimately, the growth in above-board non-business use of steroids and the cost of testing will alter our negative views of steroids in sports unless we develop an ethical philosophy of how sports should be conducted and how athletes should comport themselves. We are not far from the day when a steroid user sues to compete on the ground that they have a handicap or disability requiring their use - in fact, we already have seen that where we allow athletes to use certain over the counter products that have low levels of steroids under certain circumstances.
Estero, FL. - February 13, 2008 - Steroids: The New High School Temptation, WBBH TV Fort Myers, FL, Feb. 13, 2008.
February 5, 2008 - Doing It The Right Way In Texas! Coach at Keller, Texas's Central High School Says Get Strong Without Steroids. See Teens Using Steroids Cheat Themselves and Their Health by Darla Atlas, Dallas Morning News, February 5, 2008.
Jan. 21, 2008 - Father Puts 13 Year Old Son on Steroids and HGH. See Sports Illustrated's Special Report, Sins of A Father by Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Werthem, Sports Illustrated, Jan. 21, 2008 page 30.
December 11, 2007 - Teen Steroid Use Down In 2007. We know that approximately 6% of high school students have used steroids. This doesn't mean that all these students are constant users. We use the annual prevalence rate to determine how many teens are using steroids in the past year. That number will, of course, be lower than the 6% lifetime user rate. Physorg.com reports that the annual prevalence rate dropped in 2007. See Overall, Illicit Drug Use b American Teens Continues Gradual Decline in 2007, physorg.com, Dec. 11, 2007.
Tampa, FL - August 28, 2007 - Tampa Man Gave Steroids To Skating Son, St. Petersburg Times, August 28, 2007 (we know that there are kids using steroids but we don't commonly think of parents giving them to their kids to make the kids better in-line skaters)
C.W. Nevius, Impact of Steroids Felt Across High School Sports, San Francisco Chronicle, September 20, 2006, page A-14.
Company Hired For Steroid Testing: NJSIAA Prepares For First Year of Random Drug Tests On High School Athletes In Tournaments by Sam Carchidi, Philadelphia Inquirer, September 14, 2006.
Steroid Testing Procedure Made Known by Gregory Schutta, North Jersey Herald News, September 14, 2006.
Texas - See the Dallas Morning News's Groundbreaking Report on Steroids in Texas: The Secret Edge: Steroids In High Schools by Gregg Jones and Gary Jacobson, Dallas Morning News, May 27, 2005.
Rocklin, CA - 2005 - School Tackles Alarming Subject: Steroid Use, by David Leon Moore, USA Today, May 24, 2005.
2005 - Want The Facts On High School Steroid Use? Click Here For Steroid Use In High School, National Center for Drug Free Sport.
60 Minutes Covers the Taylor Hooton Story, March 2004.
Sports Genes & Genetic Testing
May 17, 2010 - See Sports Genes by David Epstein, Sports Illustrated, May 17, 2010 page 53 (the latest in how genetics impacts performance).
Steroid users take the body they're born with and use drugs to make it better. Still, the steroid user has no guarantee of success and has an increased risk of some very negative physical, mental and psychological problems. This is terribly inefficient. What if you could find out what sport your body was best suited for? Now, you can be more efficient because you know what sports to pursue. That's the premise of Atlas Sports Genetics. For prices as low as $150 you can have genetic testing done on your ACTN3 gene and find out if you're genetically predisposed to sprint/power sports or endurance sports. Now, you're getting efficient. Does this sound like, well..., a bit much? Not to a whole lot of parents. See Born To Run? Little Ones Get Test For Sports Gene by Juliet Macur, New York Times, November 29, 2008.
Legal Information
Drug Testing - For the legal basis of it all see Vernonia v. Acton, 515 U.S. 646 (1995) (random suspicionless drug testing of athletes is constitutional on grounds that government's interest in drug free schools outweighs students fourth amendment rights). Click here for more on student-athlete drug testing and the law
Supplement Information
November 4, 2017 - San Mateo, CA - We've discussed the potential harm of energy drink consumption for years in high school sports. But, the modern student may have moved well beyond energy drinks. Carlmont High School junior, Talia Fine notes that today's student-athlete can take "workout drinks, gel pods, pills, energy shots and, in more extreme cases, concentrated caffeine powder that can be snorted, yielding a quicker rush..." Houston, we've got a problem. Adults are still debating how to handle energy drinks, and today's student-athlete is using gel pods. We've got some catching up to do. See Student-Athletes Taking Caffeine For Performance, reported by Talia Fine, San Mateo Daily Journal.
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September 24, 2010 - Virginia - Virginia becomes first State to ban energy drinks at high school sports practices and games. See Energy Drinks Banned From High School Practices and Games, reported by Chip Knighton, Charlottesville (VA) Daily Progress, September 24, 2010.
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September and October, 2009 - Quercetin: The new wonder drug. In the never-ending search for performance-enhancers, the supplement industry has come up with a new super supplement. But is it really as good as they say? See Popular Supplement Quercetin Does Not Enhance Athletic Performance, Study Finds, Science Daily, September 4, 2009; and Phys Ed: Is Quercetin Really A Wonder Sports Supplement? by Gretchen Reynolds, New York Times Health Blog, October 7, 2009.
May 2009 - See SI's Special Report on Supplements: What You Don't Know Might Kill You by David Epstein and George Dohrmann, Sports Illustrated, May 18, 2009, page 54.
High School Sports Steroid News
March 23, 2015 - Texas Legislature Appears Ready To Cut Steroid Testing Program. See Texas Lawmakers Prepared To Pull Funding For $10 Million Steroid Testing System For High School Athletes, Associated Press Story in New York Daily News, March 23, 2015; and Texas Ready to Dump High School Steroids Testing Program, Texomashomepage.com, March 20, 2015. Texas had a very poor return on their testing investment. The AP reported that in the 2013-2014 school year, Texas tested 2,633 students and caught two. They spent approximately $500,000 on their testing program that year. They simply can't justify the expense.
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August 2011 - IHSA Board Votes To Keep Steroid Testing Alive in Illinois - First Two Violations In 2010. See Illinois To Keep Testing High School Athletes For Steroids by Michael Popke, Athletic Business, August 8, 2011. Illinois has run its program since 2008. They've tested 1,758 students and had two violations, both in the 2010-11 school year. I estimate that Illinois is spending $200 per test, which would mean that Illinois has spent $351,600 on its program. In a tough economy, it will be tough for Illinois to continue its program. Everyone will agree that the deterrent effect is valuable, and that the message is important. The problem is that there have only been two positives and there's no way to prove how many people would be caught without the program. Eventually, Illinois, Texas and New Jersey will all be asked whether there's a more efficient way to get the anti-steroid message out. They will either make a compelling case for continued testing, go to random testing at championships (which will substantially reduce costs), or go to a California style system with lots of education and required student anti-steroid forms.
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March 2010 - New Jersey Expands Steroid Program: Bill to supplement steroid testing with increased education moves forward. New Jersey is one of the only states with a high school steroid testing program. They are taking an even stronger stand now. See N.J. Senate Approves Bill To Expand High School Steroid Education by Matthew Stanmyre, Newark Star-Ledger, March 11, 2010.
August 2009 - Texas Steroid Program: Alive, but budget slashed to $1,000,000. See Success of Prep Steroid Testing Program Debated by Matt Peterson, Dallas Morning News, August 23, 2009. Illinois Program Increases Its Budget to $150,000 - Illinois Tested 700 Athletes Last Year. See Prep Football Notes: State Will Expand On IHSA Drug Testing, Peoria Journal Star, August 15, 2009.
May 2009 - Budget Cuts Decimate Texas Steroid Testing Program. When you only have 11 positive tests and you're spending $6 million a year, you know your testing program is going to get cut. See Texas Lawmakers Agree To Slash Steroid Testing, CBSTV11.com, May 12, 2009.
February 2009 - Budget Cuts Kill High School Steroid Testing Program by Sarah Larimer, South Florida Sun Sentinel, February 17, 2009. Now only New Jersey, Texas and Illinois have high school testing programs.
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October 2008 - USADA Launches My Victory Anti-Steroid Campaign - While State High School Testing Is Under Fire As Not Being Cost-Effective. See States' Testing Programs Finding Few Offenders by A.J. Perez, USA Today, July 24, 2008. Of course, the steroid industry has its own sites, too. Click here for an example and click here for more. The bad guys are winning this battle! They have to. The good guys have fear, morality, inspiration and deterrence, but the bad guys have the profit motive.
July 24, 2008 - Mixed news, two views on prep steroid use by A.J. Perez and Brady Adymond, USA Today, July 24, 2008 page 1C. High school steroid testing hasn't caught many people, but we know they're out there in light of the big Louisiana high school steroid bust on July 22nd.
July 23, 2008 - Louisiana - While Texas and Florida discuss eliminating their steroid testing program because they don't catch many people, we are reminded what happens when there is no testing. A number of high school players were just caught in a Louisiana bust of a steroid ring. The high school's coaches had nary a clue that their boys took steroids - and quite a bit of steroids I might add. See Steroids Bust Shocks Coaches by Brady Aymond, Louisiana's TheAdvertiser.Com, July 23, 2008; and St. Landry Parish Officials Expose Steroids Ring; Join The Discussion by Shay Randle, Louisiana's TheAdvertiser.Com, July 23, 2008.
February 5, 2008 - MSNBC Covers National Survey of Steroid Use: See Q & A: Impact of Steroids On Young Athletes: Dr. Edward V. Craig Explains Dangers of Performance-Enhancing Drugs, MSNBC.com, February 5, 2008; Kids On Steroids Willing To Risk It All For Success by Jacqueline Stenson, MSNBC.com, February 5, 2008.
December 20, 2007 - Texas Is Getting Ready for what the Houston Chronicle describes as the "largest steroid testing program in the world." Texas's protocol was not ready in time for 2007's football season, but the protocol for testing should be ready in the next few months. Texas has already prepared valuable material, including an excellent model parent consent for steroid testing form and the anti-steroid video, "The Making of A Champion." For a recent report on Texas's progress, See UIL Spells Out Steroid Tests, by Gary Scharrer, San Antonio Express-News, Nov. 29, 2007.
December 6, 2007 - STILL THINK YOUR KID SHOULD USE MUSCLE BUILDING SUPPLEMENTS? THINK AGAIN! Informed Choice and HFL Labs' Study Finds 25% of All Supplements Are Contaminated With Trace Amounts of Steroids. Click Here For Informed Choice Press Release and Click Here For HFL Lab's Study. Click Here for USA Today's Coverage - Study Finds Steroids, Illegal Stimulants In Supplements by A.J. Perez, USA Today, December 5, 2007.
Massachusetts - July 8, 2007 - For a comprehensive report on high school steroid legislation and the economic and political difficulties raised by steroid testing, see, States Find Difficulty Imposing High School Steroid Tests by Eddie Pells, South Coast Today, July 8, 2007.
Tallahassee, FL - June 19, 2007 - Florida High School Steroid Testing: Governor Signs Bill For High-School Steroid Testing by Bill Cotterell, Florida Capital News.Com, June 20, 2007. The Florida Bill is a one year pilot. Click here for the Bill's text and click here for the Florida exemption to the public records act designed to protect the tested students' privacy. Florida joins Texas and New Jersey as the three states that will test for steroids in the 2007-08 academic year.
Austin, Texas - June 16, 2007, Perry Signs UIL Steroid-Testing Law by Jake Trotter, Waco Tribune, June 16, 2007. The Texas plan is the most comprehensive steroid-testing progam in the nation at the high school level. The legislature put their money where their mouth is, setting aside $3 million for testing. Approximately 20,000 of Texas's over 700,000 student-athletes will be tested. Tests will be conducted on students from approximately 30% of Texas's public high schools.
Dallas, Texas - May 29, 2007 - Hooton: Texas Can Have Model Bill In Steroids Fight by John O'Rourke, Dallas Morning News, May 29, 2007 (the Texas Bill that Don Hooton praised on May 29th passed on June 15th. Don Hooton says this Bill is the model high school steroids testing Bill). Note: Don Hooton is one of the leading anti-steroid advocates in America. For more on Don Hooton and his anti-steroid work click on this link to the Taylor Hooton Foundation.
Sacramento, CA - April 18, 2007 - California High School Mandatory Steroid Testing Bill Voted Down By Assembly Education Committee. Will go back to Committee for re-vote. Click here for text of AB 1319.
Austin, Texas - March 6, 2007 - Senator Wants Steroid Tests For High School Athletes, News8austin.com. New Texas Bill proposes high school steroid testing. If the Bill passes, Texas would join New Jersey as a state testing select high school athletes for steroids. UPDATE: April 11, 2007 - Texas Senate OKs High School Steroid Testing by Jim Vertuno, Houston Chronicle, April 11, 2007 and High School Athletes To Face Testing for Steroids by Gary Scharrer and Clay Robison, Houston Chronicle, April 11, 2007. The steroid bill has passed the Senate and now the House has to vote on it. The House will almost certainly pass the Bill. The Bill will require approximately 3% of high school athletes to be tested. The big issue is who pays for the testing - it will cost approximately $4,000,000 per year. The Senate says have the state pay for it. The House appears to want the State High School Athletic Governing Body to foot the bill through assessments on ticket sales. For more - listen to Texas to Require Drug Tests For Young Athletes, NPR April 11, 2007.
Donald Hooton's Congressional Testimony on Steroids In Youth Sports, March 17, 2005.
High School Steroid Programs - State by State
August, 2008: Statistical Data In From Florida and Texas:
Florida steroids tests
Athletes tested: About 600
Schools: 43
Positive tests: 1
Cost: $100,000 in state money (2007-08 school year)
Testing agency: National Center for Drug Free Sport
Texas steroids tests
Athletes tested: 10,000
Positive tests: 2
Cost: $3 million annually in state money
Testing agency: National Center for Drug Free Sport
The scope of this statewide testing is extremely limited, reaching only an incredibly small percentage of a state's athletes and skewing the statistical value of the data - although one could argue about the deterrent effect. The Collier County School Board in Florida conducted its own tests, allowing them to penetrate much deeper into their athlete pool and test a much greater percentage (they tested over 10% of their student-athletes) of their sample population of student-athletes. Here are its results:
Collier County School Board recreational drug tests
Athletes tested: About 600
Schools: All seven public high schools
Positive tests: 7
Cost: $200,000 in federal grant money (over three years, 2007-10)
July, 2008 - Delaware Chooses Steroids Education: Rejects Tests. See No Steroid Testing For Delaware Athletes by Buddy Hurlock, Delaware News-Journal, July 11, 2008. For more on Delaware's decision, visit Steroid.com
Florida 2007-08 - Click Here For Florida Steroid Testing Information.
Florida 2008-09 - Florida Drops Its Steroid Testing Program - It Costs A Lot of Money and Didn't Catch A Lot of People. See States' Programs Finding Few Offenders by A.J. Perez, USA Today, July 24, 2008 page 9C. See also, Poll: State Drops Steroid Testing For High School Athletes; Collier To Continue Drug Testing For 2 Years by Adam Fisher, Naples News, August 12, 2008.
Illinois - Illinois joins Florida, New Jersey, and Texas: Will Begin Testing In State Tournaments In 2008-09. See Teen Athletes Face Drug Tests by Barry Temkin, Chicago Tribune, January 14, 2008. Click Here For IHSA Press Release of Jan. 14, 2008.
Indiana - Steroid Bill Dies In Indiana. Bill sponsor says he'll bring it back next year. See Steroid Testing Bill Dies, High School Sports Magazine (Indiana), Jan. 29, 2008. The defeat of the Indiana Bill may mark a new trend. The tests cost a lot of money, and don't catch many people. New Jersey and Florida have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in their testing programs, but have caught very few people. The question for school administrators is how many of our scarce educational resources are we willing to spend to catch an extremely small number of steroid users. These questions were raised in Indiana, and are discussed quite well in The Northwest Indiana Times's article, Proposed Steroid Bill Elicits Coaches' Concern by Steve Hanlon, January 27, 2008.
New Jersey Institutes Statewide Steroid-Testing for High School Athletes, USA Today, June 8, 2006.
New Jersey - New Jersey is the first state to implement steroid testing of high school athletes, testing a random sampling of athletes who qualify for individual and team state championships. Click here for New Jersey's steroid policy. Click here for FAQs regarding the New Jersey policy.
Texas 2007 - Click here for text of new Texas Bill proposing high school steroid testing.
Texas will be the second state requiring some form of high school testing if this Bill passes.
Click here for "The Making of A Champion", Texas's anti-steroid video.
Just Two Texas Athletes Test Positive For Steroids In Program's First Year, Associated Press Story in USA Today, July 23, 2008.
Steroid Information
Efrain Anthony Marrero Foundation. This foundation was formed in memory of Efrain Anthony Marrero, who took his life three weeks after he stopped using steroids. The Marrero Foundation provides information and resources to fight steroid use.
Informed Choice. This non-profit tests over the counter supplements to determine whether they have any tainted steroid or banned substances in them. Surprisingly, or not surprisingly considering the supplement industry's lobbying efforts, many do.
Mitchell Report on Steroids In Major League Baseball.
Monitoring The Future. MTF is a project of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. MTF studies youth attitudes toward a number of issues, including drugs and alcohol. (for a specific example, see MTF's 2006 Report on Adolescent Drug Use: Monitoring The Future: National Results On Adolescent Drug Use)
NCAA's Study of Substance Use Among College Student-Athletes. The latest survey shows that 2.1% of college athletes have tried anabolic steroids at some point in their life. Over 50% of these users started in high school.
NFHS Steroid Awareness Page (includes PSA, Steroid Awareness Video, Drug Testing Info and More).
Science Daily - This is a science publication so you'll have to enter "Steroids" in the search bar. Then you can read the latest scientific information on steroids. One of the problems with sites such as Steroid.com and isteroids.com is that they're geared to people who want to know about using steroids. Sometimes such sites can be off-putting as they immerse one in the ugly world of steroid users. Science Daily is pure science. It's not always exciting, but it's extremely credible.
Steroid.com - The latest in steroids news - and a very scary site.
Steroids and Supplements - What You Need To Know , presented by the California Interscholastic Federation.
Taylor Hooton Foundation. This foundation was formed in memory of Taylor E. Hooton, a 17-year old high school athlete who committed suicide as a result of the abuse of anabolic steroids. The foundation presents information to combat the use of steroids by our youth.
Testosterone News: Visit this site for the latest, comprehensive news on steroids and supplements.
Trusted Supplement. This blog lists the latest news on tainted supplements.
