According to a study led by the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE), a high proportion of public school districts have instituted random drug testing beyond sanctions as set by the U.S. Supreme Court.

This study will play an important role in monitoring the occurrence of random drug testing to prevent the use of steroids in sports and schools in the coming times, as per Dr. Chris Ringwalt, Senior Research Scientist at PIRE.

From News-Medical.Net:

Nearly all school districts that implemented random drug testing procedures subjected their athletes to the possibility of being tested, and two-thirds randomly tested high school students who participated in other extracurricular activities. More than a quarter of the districts that implemented random drug testing subjected all their high school students to the possibility of being tested.

The Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that testing student athletes for drugs is constitutional, even in the absence of any suspicion of substance use. In a subsequent case, the Court extended its ruling to include students participating in extracurricular activities.

“Random student drug testing will likely continue to be controversial and the practice is likely to be contested, just as we saw with the recent ruling by the Washington State Supreme Court,” said Dr. Chris Ringwalt, Senior Research Scientist at PIRE. The Washington State Supreme Court ruled on March 13, 2008, based on a lawsuit that student athletes brought against a local school district, that random drug testing of student athletes is not allowed under the state’s constitution, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1995 ruling (Supreme Court of the State of Washington. York v. Wahkiakum School District No. 200. Docket No: 99-2-00075-6, March 13, 2008).

It is important to note here that more and more young people have been reported using anabolic steroids for building solid muscles and improving the level of performance.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, Random drug testing, steroids in sports, use of steroids

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