Olympic Drug Testing by Pete Guither
Drug WarRant February 27, 2006
I knew that they were thorough and strict regarding the Olympics, but actually
this surprised me.
In order to maintain my status as an eligible athlete, I am required to tell USADA where I am 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To help streamline this process, we are given quarterly updates to complete, intended for us to outline the next three months of our lives. We are instructed to put down when and where we will be living, training, working and traveling so that USADA can find us at any given moment. Although this seems relatively simple for most people, it is quite difficult for an athlete whose training and competition schedule is constantly in flux. For every wedding, family emergency, last-minute trip or unplanned change, we must submit a Change of Location form so we can be tracked at all times [~] making athletes feel as though they are under constant surveillance.
The regular tracing of our whereabouts was implemented so that USADA can randomly drug test athletes, with frequent knocks at the door at 6 a.m. or surprise tests at 7 p.m. If a Doping Control Officer arrives to perform a test and the athlete cannot be reached within the allocated time, they are charged with a missed test. After three missed tests, an athlete becomes suspended for one year, and worse, has their reputation tarnished indefinitely.
When a Doping Control officer makes contact with you, you have two hours to meet them in person, at which point they must remain by your side until you give them a successful urine sample. This process can take all day, for even though as elite athletes we are trained to perform under pressure, bladder pressure is a different story. Even the showiest of athletes get stage fright when there is someone standing 2 feet away watching you [~] completely exposed [~] urinate into a cup.
I understand the concerns about having the sport tarnished by performance-enhancing drugs (although why athletes are tested for marijuana baffles me, since pot is hardly a sport-enhancing drug). On the other hand, I know that I would never want to live a life that completely gave up your privacy in that way.
Test tubes collect the samples of urine
ATHENS 2004: IOC ISSUES ANTI-DOPING RULES
World Anti Doping Code (WADA document)
List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (WADA website)
Marijuana Prohibited in the Canadian Domestic Doping Control Program (pdf)
The CCES has received numerous inquiries surrounding the following two issues:
1) the rationale for the inclusion of Cannabinoids on the 2004 WADA Prohibited List, and 2) the impact of this revision on the Canadian domestic doping control program.
In response to the first concern, the decision by WADA to include Cannabinoids on the 2004 Prohibited List was not made lightly. WADA developed an
expert committee to review the 2003 Prohibited List of Substances and to recommend revisions for the 2004 Prohibited List of Substances. This expert committee consulted globally with international sport federations, national anti-doping organizations, the international Olympic committee, national Olympic committees, and governments. Based on this extensive consultation process, WADA made the decision to include Cannabinoids on the 2004 Prohibited List.
The List Committee (Committee) is a panel of eleven scientists* chosen for their international expertise. It is a subgroup of the WADA Health, Medical and Research Committee. The Committee meets three times each year. It makes recommendations on the contents and revisions to the Prohibited List.
Foundation Board
Mr Scott BURNS
Deputy Director for the Office of State & Local Affairs, ONDCP
USA
Debunking the ONDCP's Scott Burns
Google: Scott Burns ONDCP
He did not think that WADA should state that marijuana, cocaine and heroin were fine for athletes simply because they were not performance-enhancing.
Australian Prohibited substances and methods
The classes of prohibited substances and methods on the
World Anti-Doping Code 2006 Prohibited List include:
Cannabinoids*
* prohibited in-competition only (not prohibited out-of-competition)
Erowid
rug Testing Information
Cannabis News: drug_testing related topics
THG: The hidden steroid by Sara Brunetti,
CBC News Online Updated November 26, 2003
BALCO founder Victor Conte holds a photo of San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds with the supplement ZMA that Conte makes on Bond's hat, Oct. 21, 2003. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
CBC News EXTERNAL LINKS
* United States Anti-doping Agency
* Press release about THG (pdf format
* World Anti-doping Agency (WADA)
* WADA THG FAQ (pdf format)
* Canadian Centre for ethics in sport
* FDA statement on THG
* How performance-enhancing drugs work
* Brock University Centre for Sport and Law
NBA Drug Testers Fill Quota with Christian Laettner January 14, 2004
THE WORD: Maybe it was his long hair or his vacant demeanor or maybe his increasingly passive game, but it came as no shock to learn Christian Laettner had been suspended 5 games by the League for testing positive for drugs. And we'll bet the house he got busted for smoking weed. But since when is smoking weed a punishable offense in the NBA? As Charles Oakley astutely estimated, at least 60% of the League smokes dope on a regular basis.
Deck of 52: Basketball's Most Wanted Enemies
Space & Astronomy News - Urine testing toilet
British Medical Journal 15/11/1999
A toilet that automatically analyses urine and sends the report to the doctor is just one of the new medical technologies on the horizon for the new millenium, according to the latest British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Dr. Heath/Tulane Study, 1974
The Hype: Brain Damage and Dead Monkeys
Naha's Prescription for Bloated Police Budges
President Ronald Reagan, at the urging of then Vice President George Bush, appointed Carlton Turner as the White House Drug (czar) Advisor in 1981.
Soon after Turner left office, Nancy Reagan recommended that no corporation be permitted to do business with the Federal government without having a urine purity policy in place to show their loyalty.
Carlton Turner became a rich man in what has now become a huge growth industry: urine-testing.
The American Way
The drug-testing industry is a multibillion dollar profit center. And a giant weapon in the War on Drugs. So don't be surprised if you have to pony up prior to your next job interview.
As Drug Testing Spreads, Profits and Lives Hang in Balance
By Joe Stephens Washington Post Staff Writer December 17, 2000; Page A01 First of six articles
Drug Testing Industry Capitalize on Court Decision
Drug Industry Scandal a 'Crisis' By Ritt Goldstein
Drug Test Nation February 9, 2005
Get a whiff of the new pot-sniffing technologies, coming to a highway near you
Hemp urine testing
by Dana Larsen (01 May, 1999)
The latest news on peeing in cups.
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