Walton County considers student athlete drug testing, By: David Maqliano

May 31st, 2007

Florida may soon begin steroid testing of select high school athletes, but as a “place to start,” Walton County School Board representative Sharon Roberts wants drug testing – including steroid testing – mandatory for every high school athlete.

“It’s not today’s use, but the damage they are doing to their bodies,” said Roberts, who wants the county school district to consider the addition of drug screening as part of a high school athlete’s required physical. “If we can keep them from damaging themselves we’ve done something.”

The Florida legislature recently passed a bill that institutes random steroid testing in high school athletes, beginning with a one-year pilot pro-gram. Governor Charlie Crist is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

That law, however, may face challenges in its current form. It only calls for drug testing in three sports – football, baseball and weightlifting. Those athletes will mainly be male, which could raise questions of gender discrimination. It also tests just 1 percent of those athletes, which may diminish the effectiveness of the testing as a steroid deterrent.

If the bill becomes law, the Florida High School Athletics Association will administer those tests using state funding.

Roberts plan would test every Walton County high school athlete in every sport for steroids and street drugs, and pass the cost to the athlete as part of their required physical.

The physical is good for one calendar year, meaning a four-year athlete would be tested at least four times in high school.

A steroid screening costs anywhere from $50 to $400 depending on the complexity of the test and the number of drugs screened. A test for street drugs like marijuana or methamphetamines can cost as little as $15.

“It’s a place to start,” Roberts said. “If we slowed (drug use) down any at all it would be great.”

Steroid use in high school athletics has become a hot topic in the past few years, mainly due to the rise in awareness of steroid use among professional athletes.