Some lawmakers are rethinking their stand on the current steroid testing program of Texas. They have said that the program yield very little results. After testing 10,000 students in leading high schools in the state, only 4 tested positive. With $6 million budget for the program, lawmakers said that it is costing the government too much. According to some critics, the two year program was a waste of effort and money.

They also said that the previous impression that most high school students are taking illegal substances especially steroids proves to be not true. Sen. Dan Patrick who is loudly against the testing program, said that “it is a “colossal waste of taxpayer money” that could be focused on combating recreational drug and alcohol use”.

A report released last December by the University Interscholastic League shows that there are only a few high school students who were tested positive for steroids. The first 10,117 tests produced only 4 confirmed cases of steroid use. The drugs detected on these students were the anabolic steroid boldenone and a steroid called methylandrostandiol.

An additional 22 cases were deemed “positive” results because students broke testing rules but this does not mean that they used steroids. They either refused to provide a urine sample or had unexcused absences the day they were selected. Another reason is if they left the testing area without approval. A student who tested positive will meet a 30-day suspension from play for the first offense.

A total of 195 schools were included in the testing program from February to June 2008 by the National Center for Drug Free Sport. It also covered 12 sports. The sports where most of the test were conducted were Football (3,380) and girls’ volleyball (835). The Uiversity Interscholastic League (UIL) will release an updated test results next month.

It is expected that by the end of this school year an approximately 40,000 to 50,000 Texas high school athletes will have been tested for steroids.

The33tv.com interviewed some athletes and other personalities who are monitoring the development of this steroid testing program. Nancy Saddler, a High school basketball fan said, ” That’s a lot of money being wasted when you haven’t caught but four. Out of how many? Ten thousand you say?” Another comment from Tony Myers stated that, ” It sounds like a waste, but as soon as you turn it off then those who have been hiding it, they’ll go right back to doing it.” Don Hooton who founded the Taylor Hooton Foundation, also said that “either there’s something wrong with the testing, which is why we’re coming back with so few numbers, or hopefully it’s an indication that the program is working, that it’s doing what it’s supposed to do which is deter kids from using anabolic steroids.”

David Dewhurst who made steroid testing the major platform of his government said that the program needs to finish its course in order to decide if changes are needed. The testing is “deterring our young people from putting their lives at risk or wrecking their bodies through the use of illegal steroids,” Dewhurst stated.

Dan Flynn, the Texas legislator who sponsored the testing bill in 2007 calls it an “incredible success.” He said that the point of testing was to act as a deterrent against steroid use, not catch teens using drugs. “We don’t have a bunch of pelts hanging on the wall. The success is that we haven’t had a lot of positive tests.” Flynn added.

Since the 2009 legislative session already started, the fate of the program lies on the legislators whether they would continue the program, reduce the budget or totally scrap this steroid testing program initiated by Rep. Dan Flynn.

A recent study has found that high doses of steroids produce no effect in further alleviating wheezing among younger children. In general, steroids are used to ease the symptoms of wheezing and have been found highly effective when used to treat adults and older children. In the UK and elsewhere, hospitalized children due to wheezing, or illnesses that cause wheezing, are treated with higher doses of steroids. The study done in the UK, which involved more than 700 pre-school children, showed that a higher dose of steroids produced no benefits. Because of this, guidelines in giving younger children higher doses of steroids in hospitals and as prescription have to be considered.

However, the specialists contend that this study may not be applicable for adults and older children where higher doses of steroids could possibly make a huge difference and save a life.

Steroids are used to treat asthma and wheezing because it helps suppress inflammation that causes the airways to narrow, which happens in people with asthma. A lot of long-term medications to treat asthma contain steroids and when the asthma worsens, doctors often prescribe medicines which contain a higher dose of steroids to get the asthma back in control. This has been the tactic of most doctors for treating asthma and the researchers led by Professor Jonathan Grigg of The London Medical School and the Barts, do not challenge this protocol when it comes to treating adults and older children.

However, when it comes to treating younger children, the study questions whether this tactic is still applicable especially since many of the younger children may have asthma symptoms but have no asthma per se; their wheezing could just as well be due to a viral infection.

In the recent UK trial, children hospitalized for having severe symptoms of wheezing were tracked and followed. Half of the children were given steroids and the other half were given dummy medications that contained no steroids. The study found that the children who were treated with steroids spent just as long in the hospital as those who did not receive steroid treatments. Both groups also needed the same amount of other treatments and recovered just as well. Professor Gridd said that wheezing in younger children is very different from wheezing in older children and adults in a lot of ways.

He highly suggests that quality research is needed to investigate what the best way to treat wheezing is in young children whose wheezing is only a symptom of viral infections, as well as ways of identifying wheezy preschool children who are likely develop asthma later on. Dr. Mike Thomas of Asthma UK—the group which funded the study—said that kids who wheeze only when they catch a cold or some other viral infection but are able to breathe normally at other times, are likely to outgrow their wheezing by their teenage years.

He also said that hospitals and doctors should stop relying on a “one solution fits all” especially when it comes to treating young children because they may be taking steroids unnecessarily and that this study could thus have important implications.

In announcing his retirement Thursday at the Dodgers Stadium, Jeff Kent commended the improvements done in the drug-testing policies in Major League Baseball and the player’s union in recent years. In an interview after his announcement, however, he did mention that the policies could be way better. Jeff Kent has always spoken out against the use of steroids in baseball throughout his career and even challenged Barry Bonds to “own up” to his infamous steroid scandal.

Kent suggested that blood should also be tested in addition to the current policy of testing urine samples. He added that blood testing could be an added deterrent to those thinking of using and getting away with steroid-use. Kent’s anti-steroid campaign has made an impact in the world of baseball and the sports world in general. He has been quoted by Senator George Mitchell in the introduction of his report explaining his recommendations for further improving the testing program of baseball.

Commissioner Bud Selig also quoted Kent in his letter to Don Fehr, union chief, in requesting for harsher penalties for steroid-use. Kent said that the Major League Baseball and the players’ union are on the right path with the drug policy that they have created and that because of this the game has been elevated to a better playing field than it ever was, whether he had an impact on this happening or not. Kent said that he wanted to put the baseball game in a better place so that younger players do not become complacent and say they are in a good spot and not make any more progress.

He said that the integrity of the game always needs to be questioned, adding that the game’s integrity has been jeopardized for a long time. He also said that he is completely embarrassed about the steroid era, the same era where he hit more home runs than any other second baseman in the history of the league. Still, Jeff Kent is retiring without regrets saying that he wasn’t a cheater and that he is proud to have treated the game with the utmost respect.

“I have honored this game and its past heroes, and I have tried to carry on a legacy of winning wherever I have gone. An integrity that I have had in this game is something I’m very, very proud of. I believe I played this game right, and I believe I’m leaving this game right,” was what Jeff Kent said.

Some people speculate that Kent’s strong opposition against steroids—especially at the height of its scandal where many players were reluctant in talking about it—could highly improve his chances of being included in the Hall of Fame. Should this happen, he will most likely go to the Hall of Fame as a Giant instead of a Dodger. While he has been a “great Dodger” as what Ned Colletti, Dodgers GM called Kent, Hall of Fame officials determine which team a player has had the most impact and will award the Hall of Fame accordingly. For Kent, he has had the most impact with the New York Giants.

A total of 12 people were indicted in a long-running federal steroid probe in Alabama. Among these were three owners of a pharmaceutical company based in Mobile, Alabama, four pharmacists, and five others who operated a $4 million country-wide steroid distribution as was revealed in court documents presented last week. The defendants included Jason R. Kelley, 31, Samuel Kelley, 42, and Jodi C. Silvio, 49, owners of Applied Pharmacy Services Inc (APS). Eleven people have been taken under custody while one person remained a fugitive. Those facing charges did not offer any comments after they were released and will be facing arraignment this Wednesday.

APS has been allegedly distributing steroids and other illegal substances to doctors and dealers between 2003 and 2006 in at least 10 states including California, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Florida, and South Carolina. The indictments are a result of a long-term investigation into the illegal distribution of anabolic steroids to clinics, gyms, doctors, workout clubs, and health clubs throughout the country.

Some doctors have already been charged earlier in the probe and in 2008, two doctors pleaded guilty to federal charges of steroid distribution. According to U.S. Attorney Deborah Rhodes, those recently indicted are being charged with the selling and prescribing of veterinary steroids for use by humans. The government is seeking a forfeiture of $4 million from the proceeds of alleged sales of illegal steroids.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna B. Dobbins refused to comment on the question of whether there were any sports figures involved in the recent steroid probe, but said that some steroid buyers were teenagers. The four APS pharmacists charged with steroid distribution include Roger A. Everett, 76, of Mobile; Mallory Mallon, 45, of Saraland; Robin K. Kelly, 49, of Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Michael Bennett, 42, of Mobile. Five others were held in custody in Tennessee and Colorado. Dr. Jesse S. Haggard, 31, of Phoenix, Arizona, was described by the authorities as a fugitive. In the 198-count indictment, he is identified as a licensed “naturopathic” medical doctor.

Charged with drug and money laundering were Brett W. Branch, 40, of Eaton, Colorado and his partner Ronald E. Winter, 51, of Greeley Colorado. Allegedly, Winter recruited customers o at gyms and other workout and health facilities in Utah and Colorado. Also indicted were James A. Abernathy, 54, who ran Abernathy Longevity Systems in San Diego and Body Solutions Rx in Colorado Springs and Daniel C. Riedel, 37, who worked with Abernathy in filling steroids prescriptions.

The distribution network recruited customers and found buyers in the internet, through advertisements, and through their contacts in workout facilities. Some of the distributed drugs were sold as stacks or drug cocktails which included human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human growth hormone (hGH). The drug distribution and conspiracy counts carry a maximum of $250,000 fine and five years in prison. If the drug was sold to a person under 21, the penalty is up to 10 years. Money laundering could bring in $500,000 fine and a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count.

No last minute pardon was given to Roger Clemens before President Bush left the White House last Tuesday. The federal grand jury examining the evidence regarding the former Yankee’s perjury commission however, will proceed with the case.

Brian McNamee’s counsel Richard Emery considered the possibility of a Bush pardon after Clemens testified at the congressional hearing on the Mitchell report on 13 February 2008.

According to Emery, they were glad that neither Clemens nor Bush stooped to conquer. They hoped that by raising the issue they have immunized it and helped prevent it. Emery also added that he raised the pardon issue because the Republican members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform looks eager to protect Clemens and strike at McNamee on last year’s hearing.

Clemens had also brought up his friendship with former US President Bush while on the hearing. Clemens testified that he was never really contracted by former Senate Majority Leader Mitchell or any of his investigators, but said that Bush Sr. searched for him to wish him well after the release of the volatile reports on steroids and baseball.

Rusty Hardin, Clemens’ attorney, said that he would not seek pardon on behalf of the seven-time Cy Young Award winner. Hardin stood with conviction and denied that Clemens ever used performance-enhancing drugs, and maintained that innocent people don’t ask for pardons. According to Hardin, Richard Emery just had to quit his own dope, when he first raised the issue of pardon.

Even with Clemens’ ties with the Bush family, Washington insiders claim that in the recent weeks, a pardon was very unlikely.

One reason perhaps is the round race which involves the Barry Bonds perjury trial which will start on March in San Francisco, and the fact that Marion Jones, the Olympic track star who served a six-month prison sentence for lying to federal investigators and check fraud had unsuccessfully sought pardon. Bush would have ignited angry protest if he got involved for Clemens and not for the two African-American athletes.

Bush created a buzz when he altered Scooter Libby’s 30-month prison sentence last 2007. The 43rd President must have been still smarting from his Dec. 23rd pardon of Isaac Toussie, who pleaded guilty in 2001 to lying to feds to get mortgages for unqualified home buyers. Bush later cancelled the pardon after reports came out that Toussie’s father had donated $28,500 to the Republican National Committee.

If Bush really did get involved in the case of Clemens, questions about his own indirect role in the Major League Baseball steroid scandal would have been raised. Bush was the managing general partner of the Texas Rangers when Jose Canseco alleged that he taught his teammates about performance-enhancing drugs.

The fight against steroid use in the sports world has always been a cat-and-mouse game, with the cat—the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)—always on the losing end and a step behind the manufacturers who create new designer steroids every time there’s a new testing method and the athletes who find new and ingenious ways to get away with doping. While the WADA continually update their testing methods to quell the latest designer steroids out in the market, manufacturers keep on acquiring new technologies and inventing new designer steroids that can evade detection from all types of testing methods currently employed.

Considerable money goes to the research and development of technology aimed at catching the illegal use of steroids and other banned substances among athletes. Every year or so, there are new doping methods used by athletes to enhance their performance such as gene doping, synthetic blood doping, and designer steroids created with dynamic combinatorial chemistry (DCC).

Because of this cat-and-mouse vicious cycle, the WADA has opened its doors to innovative ways of detecting steroid and illegal substance-use. The Journal of Occupational Medicine and Toxicology recently reported that the WADA is considering psychological profiling and social analysis as methods for catching steroid users as well as users of other banned substances. The WADA is hoping that they would get a reliable indicator that includes self-reporting in the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

By self-reporting, it means that the athletes will answer a variety of questions about doping, hypothetical scenarios, and doping behavior of other athletes. If the athlete fits the psychological profile of a doper based on his or her responses, the athlete may be suspected of doping and the questionnaire can be used as evidence. Even if the athlete does not admit to using steroids or other illegal substances, the questionnaire can reveal more than he or she wants to reveal.

The method is based on a social psychology research called the ‘False Consensus Effect (FCE).’ This is the observation that a person who makes a significant overestimation over a particular behavior (or a slight underestimation is absent regarding the behavior) is likely to be engaged in that behavior. The FCE is also the effect by which people think and feel that their actions are relatively common behavior when it in fact is not. It can thus be used to gauge whether a person is engaged in a controversial behavior such as steroid-use or the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

The belief is that people’s own behavior affects their estimation of how prevalent that particular behavior is. Therefore, the person’s estimation of how prevalent the use of performance-enhancing drugs is can be a reliable indicator of that person’s doping behavior.

In short, an athlete who says that most of his or her competitors are cheating must be cheating as well. Because this test is not full-proof, the researchers propose that this should not be used for catching dopers. Instead, the measurement tool should be used as a research tool for gathering information on the prevalence of the use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in sports.