States Propose Anti-Steroid Laws.for High Schoolers
The December 2007 release of the Mitchell Report, detailing the use of performance-enhancing drugs in professional baseball, alerted the country to a widespread problem in pro sports. But recently proposed legislation in New Jersey and Indiana suggests that the problem of steroids may go beyond the professional sphere, into the world of high school athletics.
Since 2006, New Jersey has had a statewide policy of random drug testing for any student who qualifies for state championship sporting events, according to the Philadelphia Enquirer. Until now, the tests have reportedly been organized by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, and were originally proposed by former governor Richard Codey.
Sources indicate that the state Congress is now considering proposals that would put legal backing behind the NJSIAA-mandated tests.
The legislation would allow for a "full court press" approach to drug awareness, in Codey's words. Newsday.com notes that education about the dangers of performance-enhancing drugs would start as early as middle school, and students would be eligible for testing at age 14.
Tests would evidently look for the presence of any of more than 80 banned substances, including anabolic steroids, some diuretics and other performance-enhancing drugs. The presence of any one substance would lead to a one-year loss of eligibility for participation in sports, sources report.
Since New Jersey's drug-testing program was implemented in 2006, Illinois, Florida and Texas have reportedly introduced similar requirements. But is such action really warranted? Lawmakers apparently believe so.
The assistant director of the NJISAA has evidently estimated that four to five percent of the nation's students have used steroids. Other estimates put the number slightly lower, but no definitive research yet exists to nail the number down more accurately. Last year, sources indicate that New Jersey found that only one of 500 students tested showed positive results for banned substances.
And the movement toward testing students and penalizing users seems to be gaining popularity. The Indiana Journal-Gazette reports that legislation similar to that proposed in New Jersey was proposed - and rejected - earlier this year. Indiana's bill was allegedly voted down mainly for funding reasons, but the concerns expressed by its sponsors remain.
Because athletes in high school are still developing, steroid use can be especially damaging. Steroid use in children has been linked to stunted growth, heart disease, hypertension and stroke. Unfortunately, most student athletes don't respond well to warnings about conditions that might develop decades in the future.
And pressure to "bulk up" or otherwise improve athletic performance can be motivated by many factors, including the desire to get scholarship money for college, parental encouragement and peer pressure.
But some states have evidently taken the case of Taylor Hooton as a cautionary tale. Hooton, a high school athlete in Texas, reportedly took steroids and developed depression as a side effect. In 2003, at age 17, sources indicate that Hooton killed himself because of the depression.
It seems the dangers of steroids are real. Unfortunately, until performance-enhancing drug use among high school athletes garners more attention nationwide, many states will likely not pass legislation regulating the use and consequences of banned substances.
