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Prevent steroid abuse

Prevent steroid abuse March 12, 2007 Steroid abuse among athletes used to be the exclusive province of professional sports, but over the years, it gradually has reached down into colleges and high schools. The problem of teenagers pumping themselves up with steroids, growth hormones and other performance-enhancing drugs has not reached epidemic proportions but certainly warrants preemptive attention from Florida's schools and the Legislature. Rep. Marcelo Llorente, R-Miami, is sponsoring a bill in the Legislature that would create a pilot program for random steroid testing of high school athletes competing in football, baseball and weightlifting. The proposal would test no more than 1 percent of the 59,000 students participating in the three sports. The state would cover the cost of about $250 for each test. A student testing positive would be suspended from his sport for at least 90 days. The test results could be appealed at the student's request, but the suspension would stand until a negative result was submitted to school officials. Florida in general and Palm Beach County in particular have become targets for federal authorities investigating nationwide distribution networks of illegal steroids and growth hormones. A physician and two businessmen with the Palm Beach Rejuvenation Center in Jupiter face charges stemming from an investigation of Internet distribution of the drugs by the Albany County, N.Y., district attorney, the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The nationwide probe, called Operation Which Doctor, also produced arrests in Orlando and Sarasota. Besides high school athletes, steroid abuse has been a problem with law-enforcement officers in South Florida. Last year, West Palm Beach police Chief Delsa Bush suspended 13 officers who bought steroids and growth hormones from a Deerfield Beach pharmacy. That federal probe also implicated officers from Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Medical researchers have found that steroids can damage major organs and also cause psychological impairment that results in mood swings and aggressive behavior. Steroids also have been linked to dozens of teen suicides nationwide. Professional athletes have been terrible role models when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs. It's up to the Legislature to make sure the abuse doesn't grow worse in the public schools.