NEW YORK, March 18 (UPI) -- Testing for the so-called designer steroid THG is "an important step" toward eliminating drug use in Major League Baseball, Commissioner Bud Selig says.
Baseball Wednesday added THG (tetrahydrogestrinone) to its list of banned substances. MLB's Health Advisory Committee, consisting of representatives of management and the players union and a medical adviser on each side, said testing for THG would begin immediately in addition to tests for other steroids.
"Testing for THG is an important step toward reaching our goal of zero tolerance," Selig said in a statement. "I am committed to that goal and advocate a more stringent and effective drug-testing program in the major leagues, similar to our program in the minor leagues."
THG has been at the center of an investigation of a San Francisco-area laboratory linked to several athletes including baseball stars Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield.
The federal govermment banned the sale of THG last fall, saying it was an anabolic agent and not a dietary supplement.
U.S. sports executives came under fire for weak enforcement of anti-drug rules during a U.S. Senate hearing last week.
