Drugs in Sports

In the pursuit of heightened athletic performance, many amateur athletes as well as professional athletes have turned to the use of a wide assortment of drugs ranging from steroids to amphetamines, performance-enhancing substances, and illicit drugs such as marijuana (Blue Cross and Blue Shield�, 2003). Indeed, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association recently reported that 1.1 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have taken potentially dangerous performance-enhancing supplements and drugs (Blue Cross and Blue Shield�, 2003). Similarly, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Anti-Doping Agency have reported that amateur Olympic and professional athletes in various sports regularly use these drugs, which are both unsafe and banned by sports associations (The doping scandal in sports, 2003). This brief report will consider the use of drugs in sports, focusing on the prevalence of such use and its effects.

US Newswire (Drug Czar slammed�, 2003) has stated that U.S. Drug Czar John Walters has failed to speak out sufficiently in the fight against the use of drugs in sports. There is a growing list of athletes, famous and average, amateur and professional, who have been identified as using drugs. The United States government has been accused of being delinquent with respect to educating athletes and the public on the dangers of drug use. Additionally, some professional sports associations have not been as active as n

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here are some professional sports teams on which almost everyone uses some kind of stimulant at some time. In addition to ephedrine, some athletes turn to illegally obtained Ritalin, a central nervous system stimulant that is said to sharpen focus and concentration and is often prescribed for children with attention deficit disorder (Verducci, 20020. Drug use by competitive athletes is not a new phenomenon. Diacin, Parks, and Allison (2003) have asserted that for many centuries, athletes have sought a pharmaceutical advantage in their quest for victory. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) banned anabolic steroids in 1973 and initiated random testing of student athletes for performance-enhancing substances and recreational drugs in 1986. Beginning in 1990, football players in Divisions I-A, I-AA, and II as well as Division I indoor and outdoor track and field athletes have been subject to year-round testing. The problem, as described by Diacin, et al (2003), is that both the legitimate and underground pharmaceutical sector continues to develop new and less easily detected performance-enhancing drugs to escape regulation and oversight. Athletes also have been found to use substances that are banned and the

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