Some interesting issues come up with this story, as prep athletes in the state of Illinois will be subject to drug tests at any time.The Illinois House unanimously passed a bill Thursday that would extend the drug-testing window to include the entire season. This year marked the first season the Illinois High School Association conducted drug tests, but it did so only during the playoffs.
"You need to do that so people have no idea it's coming," said state Rep. Jack Franks (D-Woodstock), the House sponsor of the bill, which needs Senate approval.
Matt Troha, IHSA assistant executive director, said six tests came back positive from the 264 taken during fall playoffs but were waived for medical reasons.
"We trust our coaches and trust our membership, and they told us there was a problem," Troha said, adding some schools have voluntarily tested for years.
It's kind of sad that we have to drug test kids but with the incredible pressure put on them to succeed and get a college scholarship, and the way parents are these days with sports, it's easy to see why something needs to be implemented.
And not only performance-enhancing drugs but the other illegal drugs that kids may be tempted to take in high school, such as marijuana, pose a pitfall to athletes. These tests could now prevent a lot of athletes from doing those drugs.
What do you think? Will the drug tests help? Is this a violation of student rights?
This will certainly stop high school coaches from pushing PEDs on kids. If you don't think it happens you're mistaken.
ReplyDeleteI think it will deter athletes from using drugs. It's a good idea.
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