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Sentinel Effect of Drug Testing for Anabolic Steroid Abuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Robert J. Fuentes ,
Art Davis ,
Barry Sample  and
Kim Jasper
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Extract

George Will, the well-known pundit, once observed: “A society's recreation is charged with moral significance. Sport—and a society that takes it seriously—would be debased if it did not strictly forbid things that blur the distinction between the triumph of character and the triumph of chemistry.” In opposition, Dan Duchaine, the highly publicized “steroid guru” and counter-culture columnist, declared: “There comes a time for many in competitive athletics where winning is more important than those initial goals of health, recreation, and relaxation.” The parallels of these two philosophies to life in general are patent simply by substituting “sports” and “winning” for “career” and “success,” respectively.

This paper will review the basis for banning anabolic steroids in athletics, and consider especially the recent medical findings that support this prohibition. This survey leads into a discussion of the available deterrents, and the secondary, but essential, role of random drug testing as a final safeguard.

Type
Article
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 22 , Issue 3 , Fall 1994 , pp. 224 - 230
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 1994

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A correction has been issued for this article:

Erratum

Stephen L. Wasby